2025, the year that was for Karnataka

2025 will be remembered as a year when each passing day provided more grist to keep the rumours mills busy with speculation over leadership change in Karnataka. It was also landmark year for Bengaluru, as the city’s governance structure was innovatively rehauled, almost two decades after a similar reboot in 2007.

While Bengaluru’s 2025 crime record reflected deep betrayals in homes, workplaces, and public spaces, balanced by some strong police responses, in a year when AI became the centre of conversations, the city also ranked fifth among the top 50 AI ecosystems globally, as per the Global Start-up Ecosystem Report 2025.

Karnataka also adopted its own State Education Policy (SEP) in 2025, rejecting the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020. The year also proved to be a mixed bag for the Kannada film industry, as star films failed to deliver while debutant filmmakers showed why it’s important to evolve from outdated filmmaking approaches.