The King of Hearts

Amidst criticism of various kinds, challenges, backlashes and constant scrutiny, King Charles III and Queen Camilla have been able to bring the nation together to celebrate a new dawn

The coronation marked many things new It marked an era of diversity, inclusivity and it also stood as a symbol of triumph, love and duty

The ceremony itself was a first of many It was an abridged version of the 1953 coronation, when Queen Elizabeth II ascended on the throne This coronation celebration was watched by over 14mn viewers, something rare before It also included representatives of different faiths, not only as part of showering blessings on the newly crowned king but also as an integral part of the ceremony (see p1, 11-17)

King Charles III has been associated with the Asian community for years Through Prince’s Trust and the British Asian Trust (BAT), he has not only interacted with the community, visited temples and gurdwaras in the UK, but also visited India a few times The BAT extended huge support to India during Covid-19 and even, in November last year, to mark 50 years of the Ugandan expulsion, he hosted the diaspora at the Buckingham Palace, for a celebration to remember their arrival

From Hindus in India to Jewish settlers in the West Bank and fundamentalist Christians in the United States, King Charles tried to bridge the differences between the faith groups that make up Britain’s increasingly diverse society

The King’s commitment to diversity was on display at his coronation when religious leaders representing the Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh traditions for the first time played an active role in the ceremonies

Gopal Kambo, a graduate studying Masters's at

Cambridge in music and was selected to join the choir for his musical ability The fact he is able to do that and still identifies as himself puts paid to the myth that the royals are not inclusive

Raaghav Das, a 16-year-old with roots in India’s Bihar state was among the attendees and one of the 48 King’s Scholars at the Westminster School of London in the choir

Amongst other dignitaries of Indian origin who graced the occasion, was British Sikh Lord Indarjit Singh of Wimbledon presented the Glove to hold the Sovereign Sceptre during the Crowning of King Charles III, Lord Syed Kamall, 56, of Indo-Guyanese heritage, represented the Muslim faith and presented the Armills or a pair of bracelets and Lord Narendra Babubhai Patel, 84, represented the Hindu faith and handed over the Sovereign's Ring

Invitees also included people from across faiths, charities, youngsters and 450 BEMs Lord Jitesh Gadhia spoke about his association and experiences (see p13) and so did 16-year old Iona Mandal from Birmingham

The Harry-Meghan or Princess Diana controversies have never left the King's shadow But that Prince Harry was present, even for a short while, despite every allegation and retaliation, and that the King celebrated Archie’s birthday, whom he has never met in person, speaks volumes about the father and grandfather he is

Camilla from once the most hated woman of Britain to today’s Queen, has also come a long way

Love is another thing, and with all that has been lost (and won), as Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell said, that despite the fall out, Diana would have definitely attended the coronation and outshone everybody at the ceremony

Crucial assembly election in Karnataka

The electorates in Karnataka

Will Vote To Decide On

their

Future

rulers this week It is a crucial one not because Karnataka is one of India’s biggest and most influential states, but because it might set the stage for several other elections in the coming months that will lead all the way to the national elections in early 2024 For the past few days, the leaders of the three major political parties - the BJP, Congress, and JD(S) - have been on a blitz of campaigning across the state, even as the ruling BJP has been striving to break the 38-year-old pattern of alternating governments and retain its southern citadel

"Government with a full majority" seemed to be the favourite slogan of the leaders of all the political parties during the campaigning for the elections to the 224-member Assembly, as they emphasised getting a clear mandate to build a strong and stable government in the state The BJP's campaign was largely centralised, with a focus on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the "double-engine" government, national issues, and union government programmes and accomplishments, as well as a few from the state Since April 29, Prime Minister Modi's campaign has gained momentum, holding 18 large-scale public gatherings and six road shows He canvassed votes for BJP candidates across the state with the poll slogan 'Ee Baariya Nirdhara, Bahumatada BJP Sarkara' (This Time's Decision: Majority BJP Government)

Since the BJP has been in power in Karnataka for the past five years, the state has had one of the fastest rates of economic growth The party also won 25 out of the 28 parliament seats in the state in 2019 According to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, Karnataka’s budget and the economic survey showed the economy of Karnataka has grown 68 per cent from 2018 to 2023 In the same time frame, the nation's nominal GDP expanded by 59%, from £1,710 billion in FY18 to £2,720 billion in FY23 Inflation and the fiscal deficit in the state have also remained lower than the national average The per capita income of Karnataka recorded highest amongst other major states in India

On the other hand, Congress is working hard to wrest power from the BJP to give itself much-needed elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections By winning Karnataka, it also wants to give momentum of sorts to workers to take on the battle-ready election machinery of the BJP later this year in the Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan The party has been engaged in high-stakes campaigning this time around as a result of its attention to the issue

The JD(S), led by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, was seen putting all its might into campaigning, wanting to emerge as "king" and not "kingmaker", hoping to get the required numbers to form a government on its own Plagued by desertions, internal rifts, and the image of being a family party", Gowda's son Kumaraswamy led the JD(S) campaign throughout the state on his own, with the ailing father taking a back seat

Pre-election polls or surveys conducted by the majority of regional news channels in Karnataka place the Congress in the lead and the BJP in a close second The Karnataka election is seen as a crucial one for the Congress and the BJP as it is the first big election of the year and is also the first of several ahead of next year's Lok Sabha election In the current Assembly the BJP - which came to power after the Congress-JDS alliance collapsed in 2019 after more than a dozen MLAs controversially jumped to the saffron party - holds 119 seats The Congress has 75 seats and the JD(S) 28