Drug Busts to Bypolls: Amid Karnataka Election Results, Here's What You Missed

From a Rs 12,000 crore drug bust in Kerala to AAP winning the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypolls, here's what you missed.

Over the course of the coverage around the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, here are six stories you might have missed.

Image used for representational purposes.

(Photo: iStock)

Following a landslide defeat in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) conceded defeat and incumbent Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will step down in the evening on Saturday, 13 May.

But over the course of the coverage around the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, here are six stories you might have missed.

Drugs Worth Rs 12,000 Cr Seized Near Kerala Coast

In a significant development, a joint operation by the Indian Navy and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) resulted in the seizure of approximately 2,500 kilograms of methamphetamine valued at around ₹ 12,000 crore from a vessel along the Kerala coast in Indian waters.

The NCB, the country's anti-drug agency, announced this major drug bust, marking it as the largest methamphetamine seizure in India. A Pakistani national has been detained in connection with the incident.

According to the NCB, this is the third significant seizure of drugs being trafficked through the southern route in the past year and a half. The agency revealed that, thus far, the operation has resulted in the seizure of approximately 3,200 kilograms of methamphetamine, 500 kilograms of heroin, and 529 kilograms of hashish.

AAP Wins Jalandhar Lok Sabha By-Election

The Aam Aadmi Party wone the by-election to the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat after AAP candidate Sushil Kumar Rinku defeated his Congress rival Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary by 58,691 votes.

The bypoll was necessitated following the demise of Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary.

The Congress had fielded Chaudhary's widow Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary while AAP had fielded former Congress MLA Sushil Kumar Rinku who joined the party on the eve of the election.

Calcutta HC Invalidates Appointment of 36,000 Teachers in School Jobs for Cash Scam

The Calcutta High Court has invalidated the appointments of over 36,000 teachers throughout the State. These appointments were made in 2016 allegedly without following the proper procedure.

In a ruling delivered by Single-judge Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, it was remarked that the recruitment scam, known as the "school jobs for cash" scam, had a foul odor to it.

The judgment stated:

"The appointment of all 36,000 (thirty-six thousand) (more or less) candidates who were untrained at the time of recruitment in the 2016 recruitment process conducted by the Board in the post of primary teachers are cancelled."

The judge rejected the State's arguments, as they focused on legal points rather than addressing the corruption allegations made against the appointments.

Apna Dal Sweeps UP's Suar, Chhanbey

Bharatiya Janata Party ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) candidate Rinki Kol won the Chhanbey seat by defeating her closes rival Keerti Kol of the Samajwadi Party by a significant margin of over 9,000 votes.

Bypolls to the two Assembly segments were held on 10 May, and the counting for the same is underway on Saturday, 13 May.

The Chhanbey seat in Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur district fell vacant after the death of Apna Dal (Sonelal) MLA Rahul Prakash Kol in February this year.

Rinki Kol won the Chhanbey constituency with a margin of more than 9,587 votes and defeated Samajwadi Party candidate Kirti Kol. Rinki got 76,203 votes, while Kirti got 66,616 votes in the poll

Cyclone Mocha Approaches Rapidly 

A highly potent storm with winds reaching speeds of up to 175 kph (109 mph) is rapidly approaching the eastern coasts of Bangladesh and Myanmar. This weather system poses a significant threat to approximately one million Rohingya refugees and other individuals residing in low-lying areas.

In anticipation of the storm, thousands of people in both countries have already evacuated to safer regions.

According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, Cyclone Mocha is projected to further intensify and is expected to make landfall on Sunday, somewhere between Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Categorized as a highly severe cyclonic storm, Cyclone Mocha has the potential to generate sea surges of up to 12 feet (3.66 meters). It is anticipated to impact Myanmar's Rakhine state and the northwestern region, where six million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and 1.2 million individuals are displaced, according to the United Nations' humanitarian office.