Archives for April 2018

BJP workers from Arasikere constituency are worried as the party candidate Dr. Arun Somanna, the son of senior BJP leader V Somanna, hasn’t begun his campaign. The party workers want BS Yeddyurappa to resolve the issue soon. Dr. Arun Somanna’s was given ticket contest from Arasikere in the third list released by the BJP on Friday. V Somanna There are contrasting reports about the reason for Dr Arun Somanna’s absence in the assembly ahead of the assembly elections. According to a private television report, V Somanna is upset the BJP leadership for not allowing him to contest from Hanur assembly constituency. He has been given a ticket to contest from Bengaluru’s Govindaraj Nagar.

There are contrasting reports about the reason for Dr Arun Somanna’s absence in the assembly ahead of the assembly elections. According to a private television report, V Somanna is upset the BJP leadership for not allowing him to contest from Hanur assembly constituency. He has been given a ticket to contest from Bengaluru’s Govindaraj Nagar.

Mr Krishna made his debut in the Lower House defeating V.Somanna of the BJP about a decade ago. Somanna had to vacate the seat after he defected from the Congress to the BJP but lost to Mr Krishna in 2009. According to the other report, V Somanna is reportedly not interested in fielding his son from Arasikere as it is difficult for him to campaign in two constituencies simultaneously.

P Anil Kumar is the richest independent candidate to have filed nomination papers for May 12 polls.

P Anil Kumar, a new face for the upcoming Karanataka Assembly elections, used to earn his living by selling tea. Now, the 42-year-old who has filed his nomination as an independent candidate from Bommanahalli constituency in Bengaluru is a crorepati.

With declared assets worth Rs 339 crore, P Anil Kumar is the richest independent candidate to have filed nomination papers for the elections scheduled on May 12. Not only this, Kumar also owns a fleet of 16 cars, including imported brands though he wouldn’t name them.

Struggle for Kumar, who hails from Kerala, began early in life. After his father died, his mother worked as a house help to take care of her three children.

With tears in his eyes, businessman Kumar said, “My mother used to wipe floors and wash utensils at people’s houses. She would get four idlis to eat but would first feed us.”

With diminished resources at home, Kumar could not pursue his academics beyond the third standard. He left for Bengaluru when he was mere 11 in 1985.

According to reports, Kumar who moved to Bengaluru without any roof over his head has spent his early days in the city sleeping in front of closed shops at night. After few days, Kumar was offered a job by a man in his shop. “I was told to carry mangoes from one place to another,” he said.

Soon after, he started selling tea at small companies and later, during the IT boom in the 1990s, at software companies and big showrooms. He got more people and expanded his tea-selling business. “I started earning more and even managed to save,” Kumar claimed.

Kumar’s fortunes changed after his marriage when the couple bought a plot in Bengaluru to build a house of their own. But he sold the land after somebody offered him double the price. It was his breakthrough into the world of real estate that, according to him, yielded high returns.

“I started buying small plots and sold them for many times the price. That was in the late 90s,” he said, claiming that he made crores in a span of six years.

Eight years ago, he set up his own company called M J Infrastructure in Bomanahalli. Kumar says he is also into philanthropic work that includes building a church and a temple as well.

Pitted against BJP’s Sathish Reddy who holds the Bomanahalli seat, P Anil Kumar seems confident of a win. “I have the Almighty’s blessings and support of the people,” he said.

Senior BJP leader and former Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, who has been trenchant in his criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government, on Saturday announced that he was snapping his links with the BJP and launching a countrywide campaign to save the democracy.
“I am announcing here from this stage to end my long time relation with the Bharatiya Janata Party,” he said while addressing the first meeting of Rashtra Manch, founded by him.

Eighty-year-old Sinha, who had joined the BJP in the mid-90s, said “Aaj se mera BJP ke saath rishta samapt ho gaya. Main apna sambandh viched kar raha hun BJP se. Main BJP se khud ko alag kar raha hun (From today my relation with BJP is over. I’m severing my ties with the party…).”

He said that from now he will try to unite all non-BJP parties, “I will not join any political party and will have nothing to do with party-politics.”

“I am not an aspirant for any top post and I am making it clear here that I am not at all interested to seek any post,” he added.

Sinha, who was Finance Minister and External Affairs Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, attended the meeting of the Rashtra Manch along with BJP MP Satrughan Sinha, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Congress leader Renuka Choudhary and AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Ashutosh.

In 2017, Sinha had created a political storm with an article in the Indian Express claiming that the Indian economy was poised for a hardlanding after demonetisation and GST.

Again, earlier this week he had written an open letter to BJP MPs asking them to challenge the leadership before the next elections so that correctives could be taken.

(IANS)

Bengaluru is the most named has India’s science & technology and innovation city, but in elections, the only thing that matters in the country’s third-most important city is the caste and religion of candidates.

The caste factor, which takes a backseat after polls, always becomes an important issue during every election. Be it Assembly or Lok Sabha elections or even corporation polls, caste decides the tickets for candidates. The Congress, BJP and JD(S) deftly play the caste card to win votes in the state capital.

The current Assembly election is no different from the previous ones and all three parties have carefully selected candidates keeping the caste arithmetic in mind.

A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its third list of candidates for the Assembly elections next month, CM Siddaramaiah took to Twitter to attack the saffron party over its newspaper advertisement and the decision to field controversial Reddy brothers.
The party announced 59 new names and a change of candidate in its latest list. The Janata Dal (Secular), too, has released its second list of 56 candidates, taking the number of names declared for the 224-member Assembly so far to 182. Most names on JDS’ list are turncoats who shifted from other parties to the JD(S) in the last few days. Earlier in the day, the Congress approached the Election Commission against BJP’s Sanjay Patil over his alleged hate speech in Belagavi region. He was booked for the same. Patil had termed the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections as a ‘Hindu vs Muslim’ fight. He has been booked under Section 125 of Representation of People Act and IPC Sections 153A and 295A. The day began with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah addressing an election rally in Mysore, in which he launched a scathing attack on the BJP. He will file his nomination papers today, but suspense remains over whether he will contest from Badami as well apart from Chamundeshwari. Several top leaders in the state, including Kumaraswamy will file their nomination papers today, considered to be an auspicious day. With voting to be held on May 12, a Saturday, and counting on May 15, a Tuesday and Amavasya, politicians in the state are leaving no stone unturned to woo the stars and planets.