📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Jubair Bin Iqbal
Politics
BJP to stage protests across Karnataka today over record bus fare hike
✍️ Mangalore Today
🗓 05 Nov 2026, 11:38 AM
👁 17
The Bharatiya Janata Party announced a statewide protest in Karnataka today against an unprecedented increase in bus fares, calling it a burden on commuters.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called for protests across Karnataka today, objecting to a sudden and unprecedented rise in bus fares announced by the state transport authority. Party leaders described the hike as excessive and said it will strain daily commuters, particularly low‑income workers who rely on public buses.
BJP officials in Bengaluru and Mangalore said they will organise rallies at major bus depots and block key routes to pressure the government to roll back the increase. The party has urged its supporters to remain peaceful while making their grievances heard.
The Karnataka government has not yet issued a formal response. The transport minister, however, defended the revision, citing rising fuel prices and operational costs as the primary reasons for the fare adjustment.
Law enforcement agencies have been put on alert, with police instructed to maintain order and prevent any disruption to traffic. Authorities warned that participants who turn violent could face arrest.
The protest comes at a time when several state governments are reviewing public transport pricing, and the BJP’s move is likely to intensify the debate over affordability versus fiscal sustainability.
BJP officials in Bengaluru and Mangalore said they will organise rallies at major bus depots and block key routes to pressure the government to roll back the increase. The party has urged its supporters to remain peaceful while making their grievances heard.
The Karnataka government has not yet issued a formal response. The transport minister, however, defended the revision, citing rising fuel prices and operational costs as the primary reasons for the fare adjustment.
Law enforcement agencies have been put on alert, with police instructed to maintain order and prevent any disruption to traffic. Authorities warned that participants who turn violent could face arrest.
The protest comes at a time when several state governments are reviewing public transport pricing, and the BJP’s move is likely to intensify the debate over affordability versus fiscal sustainability.