Yeddyurappa rubbishes reports of Modi contesting LS polls from Karnataka
Bengaluru, Oct 8 : Karnataka BJP president B S Yeddyurappa Monday rubbished reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from the state, terming it "far from the truth".
He said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates for the November 3 assembly and parliamentary by-polls in the state will be finalised at the party's core committee meeting on Wednesday.
"All this is far from the truth, unnecessarily such news is being spread. There is no substance in it," the former chief minister told reporters in response to a question about Modi contesting from Karnataka.
There were reports in certain sections of the local media that with an aim to increase BJP's influence in the South, Modi was likely to contest from one of the southern states, most probably from Karnataka along with Varanasi, the seat that he currently represents.
BJP is presently not in power in any of the south Indian states. Karnataka is the only state where the party has considerable presence and has had its government in the past.
Yeddyurappa, who has been meeting several party leaders regarding finalising candidates for the Lok Sabha and assembly by-election, said it would be finalised by Wednesday.
"Day after tomorrow (Wednesday) evening, we have called a core committee meeting where we will finalise our candidates for the three Lok Sabha constituencies and two Vidhan Sabha constituencies and send it to our national president for approval," he said.
Discussions have taken place about candidates for almost all constituencies that would go for the by-polls, the BJP leader said, adding, "We will hold further discussions today and tomorrow before finalising the names".
The Election Commission on Saturday had announced the bye-elections in three Lok Sabha constituencies (Shivamogga, Ballari and Mandya) and two assembly constituencies (Ramanagara and Jamkhandi). The elections will be held on November 3 and counting of votes will take place on November 6.
The by-elections had been necessitated after BJPs B S Yeddyurappa (Shivamogga) and B Sriramulu (Ballari), and C S Puttaraju of JD(S) (Mandya) resigned as MPs on their election to the assembly in May last.
Bypolls to Jamkhandi assembly seat was necessitated following the death of Congress MLA Siddu Nyamagouda, while Ramanagara fell vacant as Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy gave up the seat and retained Channapatna, the other segment won by him in the assembly elections.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Espionage racket busted: YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra among six Indians arrested for spying for Pakistan
New Delhi: Indian authorities have arrested six individuals for allegedly spying for Pakistan, including Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra. Malhotra, who operated the travel-themed YouTube channel "Travel with Jo", is accused of maintaining contact with Pakistani intelligence operatives and sharing sensitive information.
According to a report by India Today, Malhotra had visited Pakistan in 2023 after obtaining a visa through commission agents. During her visit, she reportedly developed a close relationship with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a former staff member at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. Danish was declared persona non grata and expelled from India on May 13, 2025, following the Pahalgam terror attack.
Investigators claim Danish introduced Malhotra to multiple Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs), including an individual identified as Shakir alias Rana Shahbaz. Malhotra allegedly stayed in contact with these operatives through platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat. She is also reported to have saved one contact under the alias “Jatt Randhawa.”
Authorities allege that Malhotra shared sensitive information about key Indian locations with PIOs. She is also suspected of having had an intimate relationship with one of the operatives and travelling with him to Bali, Indonesia. Her YouTube videos have been noted for presenting Pakistan in a favorable light, and she was reportedly in frequent communication with Danish during his tenure in India.
In addition to Malhotra, the arrested individuals include a 32-year-old widow named Guzala from Malerkotla, Punjab. Guzala is said to have visited the Pakistan High Commission in February 2025 to apply for a visa and remained in close contact with Danish, who allegedly promised to marry her and sent her money on multiple occasions. Visas were also arranged for Guzala and her friend Banu Nasreen, another widow from Malerkotla.
A third suspect from Malerkotla and a 25-year-old student from Haryana were also arrested. The student reportedly established contact with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) during a religious pilgrimage and is accused of sharing sensitive military details. Another individual named Arman, a resident of Nuh district in Haryana, was arrested for allegedly supplying Indian SIM cards and transferring funds to Pakistan-based handlers.
