Biden on the cusp of making history; Trump has a narrow path
Washington: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden appeared to be on the cusp of making history along with his running mate Senator Kamala Harris, while President Donald Trump continued to have a bumpy and narrow path to victory as counting of votes in some key battleground States entered its last stretch.
As per projections made by major media outlets, Biden has 264 electoral college votes, just six votes short of the magical number of 270 out of 538 required to win the presidency. However, for news outlets like CNN, Biden has 253 electoral college votes as it has still not called Arizona, which has 11 votes and counting of votes continued.
Trump is projected to get 214 electoral college votes, which is 56 votes less than the magical figure of 270. Races in some of the key battleground states have not been called yet. These states are Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada.
In Pennsylvania, which has 20 electoral college votes, Trump is leading by 135,671 votes with 91 percent of the votes being counted. Over the past day, his lead has reduced considerably.
In North Carolina, which has 15 electoral college votes, the president has a lead of 77,337 votes with 95 percent of the votes being counted so far.
Trump's lead has reduced considerably
in Georgia over the last 24 hours. The state has 16 electoral college votes. After an overnight round of counting, Trump's lead over Biden has come down to just 18,586 votes. Officials have said that they have completed the counting of 96 percent of the votes.
In Arizona, which has 11 electoral college votes, Biden continues to lead by over 68,000 votes with 86 percent of the total votes being counted. A traditional Republican State, Trump has been fast catching up with Biden in the last few rounds of counting, but he has a long way to go.
In Nevada, which has six electoral college votes, Biden is leading by nearly 8,000 votes with 86 percent of the counting reportedly over. Nevada is a traditional Democratic State, but the race has entered a tight finish.
To reach the magical figure of 270, Trump needs to win Pennsylvania (20), North Carolina (15), and Georgia (16), and either of Arizona (11) or Nevada (six), which appears to be a tall order.
For Biden, the path seems to be much easier. He needs to win any of these States, with Arizona. A win in Pennsylvania would seal the deal for him, even if Trump manages to win the rest of the States including Arizona.
On Wednesday night, Trump declared victory in Pennsylvania (20), North Carolina (15), Georgia (16), and Michigan (16). His campaign has filed lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Georgia. It has also demanded recounting of votes in Wisconsin, a state that has 10 electoral college votes and Biden has won by 20,534 votes.
Meanwhile, Trump in a tweet has demanded that counting of votes be stopped. "STOP THE COUNT, said the president. ANY VOTE THAT CAME IN AFTER ELECTION DAY WILL NOT BE COUNTED! Trump said in another tweet.
The second tweet of his was flagged by Twitter. "Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process, it said.
Biden in his tweet insisted that every vote must be counted. Every vote must be counted, he said.
"Donald Trump does not decide the outcome of this election and nor do I. The American people decide. That's why we've launched the Biden Fight Fund to ensure every vote is counted, Biden said in a tweet.
Harris also demanded that every vote be counted. Every single vote must be counted, she said in a tweet.
"Americans should have faith in the voting process and have the constitutional right to have their lawfully cast ballots counted. That simple proposition is a cornerstone of American democracy, Harris tweeted.
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Siddaramaiah gives push for AI in Karnataka Budget
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said to further strengthen the AI sector, AI and Robotics Technology Park under IISc, will set up a robotics and AI campus called "Bangalore Robotics and AI Innovation Zone" during the current year.
This campus will be set up in collaboration with ISRO and Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (KEONICS), Siddaramaiah added.
Presenting Karnataka Budget 2026-27, he said, a centre of Excellence for AI will be set up at IIIT Raichur at a cost of Rs 5 crore.
Noting that Karnataka is the first state to introduce the Global Capability Center (GCC) Policy, the CM said, as a result of the progressive policies of the government, more than 550 GCCs are currently operating in the state.
"Under this policy, the target is to establish 500 new GCCs in the state by 2029, which are expected to create employment for 3.5 lakh people and generate an economic output of USD 50 billion. A new IT park will be established in Mangalore to promote GCC by KEONICS," he said.
With the support extended to the IT sector, more than 30,000 employees are working in 100 companies in Mysuru, the CM said.
To ease the congestion in Bengaluru and to strengthen economic activities beyond Bengaluru, Myasuru city will be developed as the second IT city of the state, he added.
To support drone testing and performance appraisal, a drone testing facility will be established in Chikkaballapur district, he said.
"During the current year, Rs 4 crore will be allocated for the development of an advanced surgical-assisted robot (COBOT)" in collaboration with IIIT-Bangalore and NIMHANS. This technology will facilitate improved outcomes in neurosurgical procedures, he added.
The CM said that infrastructure facilities will be developed at the Centre for Human Genetics at a total cost of Rs 20 crore to accommodate the newly established Institute of Advanced Genome Editing and Gene Therapy, along with other biotechnology-based laboratories.
With the objective of establishing a state-of-the-art AI Center of Excellence in Bengaluru, two centres of excellence will be set up in collaboration with the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms and NASSCOM at a total cost of Rs 16 crore, he said.
Rs 10 crore will be allocated to implement the first phase of the Quantum Road Map over five years and this will train and develop high-quality human resources required in the quantum technology sector, he said.
Noting that a detailed project report has been prepared and submitted to the Central Government to establish a state-of-the-art 'Science City at a cost of Rs 233 crore in Adinarayana Hosahalli, Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said, upon its approval, the State will take further steps, including design and development.
To inculcate scientific temper among students, Science centres have been established in all the districts, and planetariums have been set up in 11 districts. In the current year, six new planetariums will be developed in Vijayanagar, Ballari, Chitradurga, Yadgiri, Koppal and Bidar districts at a unit cost of Rs 4 crores and a total cost of Rs.24 crore, he said.
Highlighting that Karnataka is leading in the country's Information Technology sector, the CM said, "Our state has contributed to 43 per cent of India's IT exports. Under the new IT Policy 2025-30, software exports are expected to reach Rs 11.5 lakh crore by 2030."
Karnataka State has moved up from 21st position in the previous year to 14th in the global start-up ecosystem and is home to over 18,000 active Start-ups, he said.
"Bengaluru is also ranked 5th in the world's top 50 AI cities in the field of AI and Big Data," Siddaramaiah said.
The LEAP is a flagship initiative of the Government, launched with an outlay of Rs 1,000 crore to promote start-ups and entrepreneurship in cities beyond Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said.
To increase employment opportunities through long-term industry-academia partnerships, a super 100 industry-academia adoption programme will be implemented in collaboration with Karnataka Digital Economy Mission(KDEM).
Karnataka ranks among the leading states in the ESDM and semiconductor sectors, he said.
It is a matter of pride that major global companies like Foxconn, LAM Research, and Applied Materials have recently invested in the state. The state anticipates investments to the tune of Rs 45,000 crore from companies in this sector, Siddaramaiah added.
