Today’s Big Stories
Voting on 15 bypoll seats in Karnataka today, BJP in the hunt for 6 to stay afloat
After a protracted drama in Maharashtra, the political spotlight has shifted to Karnataka where bypolls to 15 assembly seats will be held on Thursday. Stakes are high for the ruling BJP which needs six more seats to remain in power in the southern state. The BS Yediyurappa government has a wafer-thin majority of 106 MLAs, including an Independent lawmaker, in the current 207-member Assembly. The actual strength of the House is 224 members, but 17 Congress and JD(S) MLAs had resigned in July and switched over to the BJP, leading to the collapse of HD Kumaraswamy’s coalition government.
Ahead of the bypolls, former prime minister and Janata Dal (Secular) chief HD Deve Gowda’s grandson Suraj Revanna and five others were booked for allegedly assaulting four BJP workers in Hassan district of Karnataka.
‘Not one charge framed against me after 106 days in jail’: P Chidambaram after being released from Tihar on bail
After being lodged in the Tihar jail for 106 days, Congress leader P Chidambaram was released on Wednesday evening, hours after the Supreme Court granted him bail in the INX Media money laundering case. A three-judge bench, headed by Justice R Banumathi, granted bail to the 74-year-old former Union finance minister who has been in custody since August 21 when he was arrested by the CBI. “After 106 days of incarceration, not one charge has been framed against me,” said Chidambaram after leaving jail. Soon after walking out of jail, Chidambaram met party president Sonia Gandhi, who extended complete backing to the former Union minister.
In Other News
CAB approved: The Citizenship Amendment Bill was cleared in a key cabinet meeting on Wednesday and is expected to be taken up in the Parliament next week. The bill seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955, in order to grant Indian nationality to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, who come to India due to religious persecution in neighbouring countries.
‘Can’t come every day’: Finance ministers and representatives of opposition-ruled states on Wednesday met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and expressed their displeasure over the delay in releasing GST compensation, which has put them in an acute financial position.
Horrific: At least 18 Indians were among the 23 people killed and more than 130 injured in a horrific LPG tanker blast at a ceramic factory in Sudan. Sixteen Indians were missing after the incident that happened at Seela Ceramic Factory in Bahri area in Khartoum, the national capital.
Frosty ties: US President Donald Trump described Justin Trudeau as “two-faced” on Wednesday after the Canadian prime minister was caught on camera apparently mocking him. Earlier, Trudeau was picked up by microphones at a Buckingham Palace reception for NATO leaders, apparently laughing about an impromptu press conference Trump did earlier.
‘Rape without violence’: About to get raped? Just hand the rapist a condom for a hassle-free experience. Yes, that’s the latest suggestion made to women for their own safety when it comes to protecting them from rape. Just hand the rapist a condom and cooperate with him while he fulfills his “sexual desire” was the “advice” given by filmmaker Daniel Shravan.
On Our Specials
Person, Politics and Policy: Following two-day-long discussions between Home Minister Amit Shah and representatives of students’ bodies and civil society groups of Assam, the union cabinet cleared the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, or CAB, on Wednesday. It will be taken up in the Parliament next week, sources have told News18. Aditya Sharma explains what the Bill is and why it has been contentious since it was first proposed.
On Reel
India captain Virat Kohli, who scored a magnificent 136 in the Pink ball Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata against Bangladesh, has regained the top rank amongst Test batsmen by overtaking Australian Steve Smith. Watch to know more.
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Curated and compiled by Karan Anand
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Source: News18