Power tussle over Karnataka CM post; Shubhanshu Shukla on Bengaluru traffic

As Karnataka’s political tensions escalate, loyalists of Deputy CM DK Shivakumar have rushed to New Delhi urging the Congress high command to “honour” the alleged 2023 power-sharing pact as the Siddaramaiah-led government completes 2.5 years. Over ten MLAs reached the capital on Thursday, with more expected Friday, seeking meetings with Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and KC Venugopal to push for a leadership rotation they say was promised internally.

Astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla injected humour into the Bengaluru Tech Summit on Thursday, joking that space travel felt easier than battling the city’s infamous traffic. He said his 34-km commute from Marathahalli to the BIEC took so long that it ended up lasting three times more than his scheduled speech.