Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Friday that the demand for power has surged in the state owing to a rainfall deficit. Speaking to the media at the Vidhana Soudha here, Siddaramaiah pointed out that the power consumption for the same period last year was around 9,000 to 10,000 MW but this year the demand for electricity has gone upto 15,000 to 16,000 MW.

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A meeting has been called to discuss the means to purchase electricity, the Chief Minister added.

Siddaramaiah also informed that an order was also issued on Thursday directing power generators to sell power to the state government and should not sell it elsewhere.

Reacting to the BJP's allegation that preventive measures were not taken, the Chief Minister said: "It is not necessary to reply to all the allegations made by BJP. They only speak with a political intention. Do they know about the actual situation? There is a problem due to drought. However, electricity is being supplied. There is no complete load shedding as they say."

Siddaramaiah added that providing electricity for seven hours in three phases may not be possible and the matter will be discussed in the meeting.