Test specialist Rahul Dravid on Saturday earned a surprise recall to shore up India’s struggling batting line-up while an off-colour Harbhajan Singh was dropped from the 16-member squad for the Twenty20 and one-day cricket series against England beginning August 31.

The vertical split in the ruling BJP was more than evident as D.V. Sadananda Gowda took oath as the new chief minister on Friday.

If outgoing Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa had his way, six ministers would have joined the new Cabinet but the rival camp, led by Jagadish Shettar, reportedly said “thanks, but no, thanks” to the offer on Thursday, hours before new chief minister Sadananda Gowda was sworn in as the state’s 26th chief minister at a crowded function at Raj Bhavan as the lone member of his Cabinet.

DMK president M. Karunanidhi on Friday expressed “shock” over Congress president Sonia Gandhi taking ill and wished her a speedy recovery and early return to the country.

Outgoing Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa was the only leader smiling among a sea of grim faces as his nominee D.V. Sadananda Gowda was elected BJP legislature party leader in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

Snubbing textiles minister P. Shankar Rao for not being aware of the relevant laws and for not giving enough powers to the body, the Andhra Pradesh Lokayukta has issued notices to the minister to furnish details of assets owned by him and his family, following a complaint by the minister himself.

A mentally unstable youth breached the security system at the Government Secretariat here on Wednesday, sneaked into the chamber of chief minister Oommen Chandy, sat on his chair and summoned a minister on the intercom, finally declaring that he was the Prime Minister.

Former Tamil Nadu minister and DMK leader N.K.K.P. Raja and four others were arrested here today in connection with a land grabbing case.

The Andhra Pradesh government employees in Telangana region on Thursday undertook a relay hunger strike here in support of the separate statehood demand.

With only hours to go before the crucial BJP Legislature Party meet to pick a new chief minister of Karnataka, RSS and BJP leaders have sounded out state law minister Suresh Kumar on whether he will be amenable to being their consensus candidate.