Here are the big stories from Karnataka today

Karnataka Today newsletter: Kota Srinivas Poojary appointed Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council, and more

Kota Srinivas Poojary, 64, has been nominated as Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council. The BJP high command approved his appointment on December 25. Mr. Poojary had earlier served as both Leader of Opposition in the Council (2018-19) and as Leader of the House in the Council (2019-23).

Arvind Bellad, who had been lobbying for the posts of both president of the BJP unit in Karnataka and leader of opposition in the Assembly, has been appointed as Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.

Shortage of funds and non-availability of cleaning staff has led to children being forced to clean toilets in many government schools across Karnataka, allege stakeholders. As a result, toilets in most schools are being cleaned only two or three times in a month.

The issue is back in focus following two incidents — from Malur in Kolar district and from Andrahalli in Bengaluru — of students being coerced to clean school toilets. This is despite the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) revising the maintenance sum for government schools to a maximum of ₹45,000 per annum in the month of September 2023.

Veerashaiva Mahasabha has urged the community members not to describe themselves as Hindu, and only use the terms Veerashaiva or Lingayat, in the forthcoming population census or caste census. This was among the eight resolutions adopted by delegates to the Veerashaiva Mahasabha rally in Davangere on Sunday, December 24.

The other resolutions include a demand for a fresh caste census and the rejection of the Kantharaj report. The community has demanded that the fresh “scientific” census should enumerate social, educational and economic status of all castes, including the sub-castes of the Veerashaiva Lingayat groups.

The allure of the long weekend and the ongoing Christmas-New Year festive season turned into a disappointment for Bengalureans with massive traffic jams on all roads leading out of the city and increased transport fares in private buses and flights. The Road Transport Corporations had deployed an additional 6,000 buses in Bengaluru for the long weekend.