PM Modi to visit K'taka on April 28, will cover 14 LS seats in two days

by Manisha Das

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Karnataka starting from April 28 where his main focus will be the northern part of the state.

Bengaluru, April 23: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Karnataka starting from April 28 where his main focus will be the northern part of the state.

North Karnataka region is considered to be a bastion of the BJP and Prime Minister Modi’s visit will strengthen the party’s position. He will address six rallies across 14 Lok Sabha seats in the region.

On April 28, Prime Minister Modi will address a public rally in Davanagere, Karwar and Belagavi and will also address public gatherings in Vijayapura, Koppal and Kalaburagi constituencies where Congress has pitched in fresh faces.

There is tough competition in the Bidar Lok Sabha seat where Union Minister for State Bhagwanth Khuba, the BJP candidate, is pitched against Congress candidate Sagar Khandre.

Former Chief Minister and Belagavi BJP candidate Jagadish Shettar is also facing stiff competition from the Congress candidate Mrinal Hebbalkar.

Congress candidate Priya Jarkiholi is contesting from the Chikkodi Parliamentary seat against BJP candidate Annasaheb Jolle.

There is also a close contest between Prabha Mallikarjun and Gayathri Siddeshwar.

Former Deputy Chief Minister and Congress MLA Laxman Savadi have facilitated the joining of BJP MLA Karadi Sanganna to the Congress.

Six-time MLA from Kalaburagi district’s Afzalpur assembly seat Malikaiah Guttedar has also joined the Congress who had played a major role for the BJP in defeating Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in the 2019 general election.

The BJP wants to consolidate the Lingayat vote bank and retain the support of oppressed classes and backwards who always supported the BJP in north Karnataka which is going to polls on May 7 in the second phase.

The Congress is hopeful that its guarantees will make a difference this time as the social indicators are low in the entire north Karnataka region and masses who are beneficiaries of guarantees will vote for them.

However, the BJP is confident that Prime Minister Modi’s wave will sweep all the hurdles for the party and retain the hold in the region.

(IANS)

Delhi Police, NSG security conducting mock drills across city

by Utkalika Mohanty

New Delhi, May 3: The Delhi Police along with the National Security Guard (NSG) are conducting security mock drills across several locations including Kashmiri Gate and the New Parliament Building in the national capital, an official said on Friday.

As per sources, the drills to ensure preparedness to thwart any untoward incident are also being conducted at schools.

This comes two days after several schools in Delhi-NCR received bomb threat via emails.

A Delhi Police source told IANS that the drills are being conducted at various sites such as metro stations, schools, temples, and government buildings. "Over 10 locations have been chosen for these drills, which will continue till late night," said a source.

The drill at the New Parliament Building commenced at around 3 p.m. and continued till 3:30 p.m.

"The DCPs and their teams oversaw the drills, with the presence of canine units, bomb disposal squads, and other specialised teams," said a senior police official.

(IANS)

Mumbai: CBI nabs Income Tax officer for bribery; Rs 4 lakh seized

by Utkalika Mohanty

New Delhi, May 3: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has apprehended an Income Tax officer in Mumbai after he was caught while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 4 lakh from a complainant.

The bribe was allegedly solicited in exchange for issuing a lower Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) certificate for the sale of a property belonging to the complainant's maternal uncle who was an NRI, the CBI said.

According to the allegations, the accused demanded 2 per cent of the total property deal value, which amounted to Rs 5.04 crore. After negotiations, the demand was reduced to 1 per cent of the deal value. Eventually, the accused agreed to accept a bribe of Rs 4 lakh.

The CBI, acting on the complaint, set a trap and apprehended the accused while he was accepting the bribe in his Mumbai office on Thursday.

In subsequent searches conducted at the accused's office and residential premises in Mumbai, the CBI recovered Rs 15 lakh in cash, gold ornaments, and documents related to investments in both immovable and movable properties. These findings are currently under scrutiny as part of the ongoing investigation, the agency said.

"The arrest underscores the CBI's commitment to rooting out corruption and upholding integrity within government institutions. Investigations into the matter are ongoing as the CBI continues its efforts to maintain transparency and accountability," it stated.

(ANI)

Asian U-22 and Youth Boxing Championships: Brijesh, Aryan among seven Indians to enter finals

by Utkalika Mohanty

Astana, May 3: Brijesh Tamta and Aryan alongwith five other Indian boxers entered the finals in the youth men's category at the ASBC Asian U-22 and Youth Boxing Championships 2024 in Astana, Kazakhstan on Friday.

Beginning the proceedings for India, Brijesh defeated Mongolia's Taalaibek Iasur in the 48kg category with a convincing 5-0 scoreline. Rahul Kundu (75kg) and Aryan (92kg) outclassed China's Kanjiebayi Ersi and Kyrgyzstan's Alybaev Tynystan with identical unanimous decisions.

Sagar Jakhar (60kg), on the other hand, forced a referee to stop the contest (RSC) win in the final round over Kyrgyzstan's Sadirov Dilerbek
Aryan (51kg), Yashwardhan Singh (63.5kg) and Priyanshu (71kg) further extended India's winning run with split decision verdicts.

Sumit (67kg) and Sahil (80kg) signed off with bronze medals after going down 0-5 against Kazakhstan's Sabyrkhan Torekhan and Kyrgyzstan's Zakirov Mukhammadaziz.

The Indian youth contingent has secured 22 medals, including 12 in the women's category, at the prestigious tournament, a release said.

Later tonight, Lakshay Rathi (92+kg) and the reigning junior world champions Nisha (52kg) and Akansha (70kg) will fight for a place in the final along with 10 other Indian youth boxers

On Thursday night, Dhruv Singh (80kg), Guddi (48kg) and Poonam (57kg) made their way into the last 4 of the U-22 category.

On Saturday, Olympic-bound Preeti (54kg) and reigning youth world champion Vishvanath Suresh (48kg) will lead the charge for India in the U-22 semi-finals along with 17 other boxers.

Muskan (75kg) and Alfiya Pathan (81kg) have received byes in their respective U-22 semi-finals.

The tournament has been witnessing high-voltage action with the presence of 390-plus boxers from more than 24 countries, including strong boxing nations such as China, India, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan fighting for the medals across 25 weight categories.