Nasheman

India's largest selling Urdu weekly, now also in English

You are here: Home / 2018 / Archives for April 2018

Archives for April 2018

G20 financial leaders see downside risks to global economy from trade disputes

by

Financial leaders from the Group of 20 (G20) have expressed concerns that trade disputes among major economies could pose downside risks to the global economy, Argentine Treasury Minister Nicolas Dujovne has said.

“Concerns on trade disputes occupied some part of the discussions that we had yesterday, and, of course, it is still one of the three main concerns in terms of the downside risks for the economy,” Dujovne told reporters in Washington on Friday after wrapping up a two-day meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors under Argentina’s presidency, Xinhua reported.

“We discussed trade and the potential impacts on the global economy and the potential disruption that modifications on the trade scheme can actually pose to the global economy,” he said.

While some differences over trade appeared in the last few months, Dujovne said G20 members “still have a very big consensus on the benefits of trade for growth.”

“The idea that the gains from trade have to be evenly shared is a concern that was placed both by advanced economies and emerging economies,” echoed Argentine central bank governor Federico Sturzenegger, noting “there was general appeal for multilateralism”.

However, the G20 meeting didn’t discuss specific trade measures, which are appropriate for the World Trade Organization (WTO) to deal with, according to Dujovne.

Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said at the meeting that current global recovery is facing “substantial challenges from a strong wave of anti-globalization and unilateralism.”

He urged G20 members to “firmly support the multilateral trading system” and strengthen macroeconomic policy coordination so as to lay a solid foundation for sustainable global growth, according to a statement posted on the website of China’s Ministry of Finance.

The G20 meeting comes after the Trump administration recently announced additional tariffs on imported steel and aluminium and threatened to impose broad tariffs against Chinese imports.

These unilateral protectionist measures have sparked widespread criticism and provoked threats of retaliation from major trading partners, raising the prospect of escalating global trade conflicts that threaten global recovery.

Over 5 killed in Nicaraguan protests

by

 Violent anti-government protests that spread across Nicaragua in response to its social security system reforms have claimed more than five lives in three days of rioting, reports said.

The violence follows the decision of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) government to push through reforms that would apply a five per cent tax to old-age and disability pensions and increase the contributions paid by both employees and employers.

The reforms, which went into effect on Wednesday, were in response to the financial crisis affecting its National Social Security Institute (INSS), The Guardian reported.

Some reports over Friday night put the death toll between five and 10. Consecutive governments have been accused of using the INSS as a source of “petty cash”.

Rosario Murillo, the vice-president and wife of President Daniel Ortega, has defended the reforms in national radio address.

Murillo has comparing the protests to “vampires, needing blood to feed their political agendas”.

Alleged fraud in electoral processes have allowed Ortega to control the country’s national assembly and make important constitutional changes, including his own right to serve more than two terms as president.

Russia advocates broader UN presence in Syria

by

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said building up the presence of the United Nations (UN) in Syria deserves attention as it will help collect reliable information.

Russia cannot accept the situation that UN agencies produce reports and statements based on information from other sources than UN’s own ones, he said at a joint press conference on Friday following talks with visiting UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, Xinhua reported.

Lavrov criticised the US-led missile strikes on Syria last week as they undermined the Geneva talks for the Syrian settlement under the auspices of the UN at a time when Russia, Turkey and Iran very closely approached the resumption of the Geneva process.

He asked the UN to step up humanitarian aid to the Syrian people and help with the reconstruction of housing, infrastructure and facilities of the war-torn country’s national economy.

De Mistura said at the press conference he was pleased that Russia remains committed to pushing for a political settlement of the Syrian crisis.

He said the deconfliction mechanism between Russian and the US forces in Syria has been effective and should continue.

De Mistura expressed the hope that experts of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will visit Douma district near the Syrian capital of Damascus as soon as possible to investigate an alleged chemical weapon attack by the Syrian government forces.

The US, Britain and France launched intensive missile attacks on Syria on April 14, saying the move was in response to the alleged chemical weapon attack.

Damascus denied the accusation and Russia said its military experts found no traces of toxic substances in Douma.

The OPCW experts are now in Syria for the investigation, but so far they have not visited Douma.

Western countries accused Russia of hindering the OPCW investigation, while Moscow said that the experts cannot enter the area due to a lack of the UN’s permission over safety concerns following the US-led strikes.

China launches database for stolen foreign antiques

by

The State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) in China launched a database on Friday for stolen foreign antiques to prevent them from entering and circulating in the country.

The administration will go on to ask entry-exit examination offices to intensify the supervision over the entry and exit of stolen foreign antiques, Xinhua reported.

It also called on professional institutions, practitioners and the public to check the database from time to time, to avoid the purchase or sale of such items.

The damage to cultural heritage has become a common challenge for the international community, and the stealing and trafficking of antiques has damaged the historical and cultural legacy of many countries, the SACH said in the statement.

Last year, the administration joined with the Ministry of Public Security in a similar platform for stolen Chinese antiques.

Since 2008, the SACH has made public information on over 6,900 stolen foreign antiques.

 (07:34) 

Beijing, April 21 (IANS) The State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) in China launched a database on Friday for stolen foreign antiques to prevent them from entering and circulating in the country.

The administration will go on to ask entry-exit examination offices to intensify the supervision over the entry and exit of stolen foreign antiques, Xinhua reported.

It also called on professional institutions, practitioners and the public to check the database from time to time, to avoid the purchase or sale of such items.

The damage to cultural heritage has become a common challenge for the international community, and the stealing and trafficking of antiques has damaged the historical and cultural legacy of many countries, the SACH said in the statement.

Last year, the administration joined with the Ministry of Public Security in a similar platform for stolen Chinese antiques.

Since 2008, the SACH has made public information on over 6,900 stolen foreign antiques.

(Ians)

‘I Was Full of Shame:’ One Woman’s Story of Being Trafficked to Italy

by

Last year, the number of women making the journey from Nigeria to Italy, via Libya, was almost double that of the year before. But in their attempt to escape crippling poverty, the women end up caught in trafficking rings, abused and exploited.
As she sat in the rubber boat that was taking her to Italy, Blessing,16, thought of a tale her grandmother had told her once, about a goddess of the sea who had the power to swallow souls forever or save them.

One night last September, a man had woken her up with a kick while Blessing (not her real name) was sleeping on the floor of an abandoned warehouse in Zawiya, on the western coast of Libya. He told her the weather was good, the sea was finally calm and it was time to head to Europe.

Now she was floating in a boat across the water, which was darker and bigger than she could have ever imagined. But she was not afraid. “On the other side of the sea, beyond the divinity that kills or forgives, there is Italy,” Blessing told herself.

She thought there was a job waiting for her. But in Italy she only found abuse and exploitation.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), says 11,009 women came from Nigeria to Italy by sea in 2016, almost double the 5,600 who made that same journey the year before. A report by the organization estimates that 80 percent of the Nigerian women who came to Italy in 2016 were – or still are – potential victims of trafficking.

“What our report shows is that human trafficking networks are becoming brutal and efficient to exploit the vulnerability of migrants,” said Simona Moscarelli, an anti-trafficking expert at IOM, in an official statement.

Blessing grew up in a village in Imo State, one of the poorest areas in Nigeria. Her father died when she was 7 years old, and she and her siblings stopped going to school. Her older brother had to take a job as a mechanic. Some of the other children in the family started selling water and bread in the streets or turned to begging.

One day, a woman approached Blessing in the village market. “I know your family needs help, they need money,” the woman told her. “My sister lives in Europe and she can help you.” The woman had also spoken to Blessing’s friend Gift, 15, saying that in Europe many families needed cooks. Both girls loved to cook.

“The woman told me and Gift to follow a friend of hers, who would accompany and protect us from Nigeria to Libya. So one night we took a backpack and ran away,” Blessing says.

The woman’s friend was one of the many “connection men” who have become key figures in human trafficking. They usually work for criminal organizations, taking girls from their home nations through Libya and, if they escape arrest or drowning, on to Italy.

“The traffickers know they can take advantage of Nigerian poverty and, on the other end, the power vacuum in Libya.”

When the girls finally got to Italy, their connection man gave them a mobile number and told them to call their madam.

“When I came to my madam, she told me I had to start working immediately to repay the debt of the trip. In that moment, I realized that my debt was 40,000 euros,” says Blessing.

“She gave me a bra, saying: This is your job. Go onto the street at night and come back in the morning with money.”

That was how Blessing found herself standing half-naked on a road near a disused bridge in the province of Asti, northern Italy. “The first night, I hid behind the bushes and cried. I just wanted to call my mom and go away, go home,” she says.

“I wasn’t angry. I was just full of shame.”

Blessing says she was beaten until she agreed to work. For three months, she was forced to have sex with up to six men a day. “I did not know Italian,” she says. “My madam had only taught me to say ‘20 euros’ or ‘30 euros’ based on what those men asked me to do.”

Then one day, another Nigerian woman named Princess approached Blessing on the street. “I know what you are doing, because I’ve lived it too,” the woman told her.

Princess is the cofounder of PIAM Onlus, an Italian NGO working to rescue trafficked girls. The organization’s other founder, Alberto Mossino, says the rise of Nigerian girls being trafficked to Italy is indicative of the growing power of traffickers.

“In the past two years, we have seen that many girls reach Europe in a very short period, sometimes less than one month, from a village in deepest Nigeria to Italy,” says Mossino. “This means the mafia who control the trafficking have the power to bribe the tribes and militias along the journey. And the traffickers know they can take advantage of Nigerian poverty and, on the other end, the power vacuum in Libya.”

“When I called my sister, to tell her what was going on, she shouted that I had to do prostitution, otherwise [the traffickers] would ask for their money back.”

Mossino says the work that groups like PIAM Onlus do to help the girls is made more difficult by the lack of government support. If a girl who escapes her traffickers is under the age of 18, she usually ends up in one of the country’s various centers for minors, where she can stay until she turns 21. After that, she is expected to find a job and a place to live, with little help.

Mossino would like to see centers and programs dedicated specifically to trafficking victims. PIAM Onlus runs six such homes in Asti, but it’s not nearly enough, he says. “Trafficked girls need specific projects and for [that] we surely need more funds. Many of the girls risk ending up in the hands of the traffickers again, and just being moved to other European countries.”

Happiness lives in a government-run center for minors near Bologna. When she turns 21, she has to leave the center and find a job and a home on her own. (Alessio Romenzi)

Happiness, 16, lives in a government center for minors near Bologna. Sometimes she thinks of her family back in Benin City, and she cries.

Last year, her sister had suggested she leave Nigeria for Germany, where a woman was looking to hire a hairdresser. After a week of traveling, Happiness was in Libya, sitting in a minivan being driven to Tripoli. She told the driver she wanted to go home.

“Impossible,” he told her. “Your sister has sold you, now you will learn to work here in Libya.”

Happiness was held in a house on the outskirts of the city and forced into prostitution, along with about 30 other girls. “An older woman told us that we would have to practice before we went to Italy,” she says.

When another group of girls from Nigeria arrived at the house four months later, Happiness was taken to Garaboli, on Libya’s western coast, to wait for the rubber boat that would take her to Italy. Once in Sicily, Happiness ripped up the sheet of paper with the number she was supposed to call to reach her madam. Instead, she found her way to a local humanitarian NGO and asked for help.

Now Happiness is waiting to see what will happen to her next. “When I called my sister, to tell her what was going on, she shouted that I had to do prostitution, otherwise [the traffickers] would ask for their money back.”

Wedding card designed like Voter Id

by

While the election officials are putting in their best efforts to get maximum people to exercise their franchise in the upcoming polls, a soon-to-be-married couple from Haveri has decided to do their bit to inspire their family, friends to vote by designing their wedding cards to appear like voter ID cards.

The couple – Siddappa Doddachikkannanavar and his fiancee Jyoti are slated to tie the nuptial knot on April 27, just a fortnight ahead of the Karnataka Assembly polls scheduled on May 12.

The uniquely designed card, with fonts and styles similar to the voter ID cards was conceptualized by Siddappa, an activist and employee with Indian Railways in Goa who was reportedly keen to promote Kannada after due discussions with a constable friend of his, who suggested that they promote voting in light of the upcoming polls.

The couple is said to have even sought permission from the District Collector before printing their wedding cards.

A look at the card shows that extreme care has been taken to make it appear like a voter ID while giving details of the marriage along with an important reminder that votes are valuable while urging guests not to sell their votes.

The mugshot image of the voter has been replaced with the couple’s image and the voter’s name has been modified to include the couple’s names.The Functional Unique Serial Number (FUSN) on the card – SJMRG27042018 – is actually a combination of the couple’s initials followed by the date of their wedding.

It may be recalled that last year a man chosen to promote the Swachh Bharat campaign launched by PM Modi by having a logo of the Swachh Bharat on his sister’s wedding invites. The image of the card had gone viral at the time and was even appreciated by Prime Minister Modi

BJP looking bright if dissidents’ are pacified in Tumakuru district

by

Manohar Yadavatti in Tumakuru

 Thanks to the dissident activities and vocal outbursts of disgruntled leaders the Bharatiya Janata Party seems to be on a sticky wicket in Tumakuru district while the fears of these factors upsetting the party table may not be ruled out unless the party resolves to attend them immediately.

In fact the situation is no better in the ruling Congress and the Janata Dal Secular either. The cold war within the leaders of the ruling party is no better although they try to brave a united face in public. DR.G.Parameshwar,KPCC president who had surrendered to a total novice in the form of Sudhakarlal in the Koratagere reserve constituency looks to be optimistic this time although he continues to face the same old problems.
Now the reasons responsible for his defeat are no more a public secret and it’s an acknowledged fact to all those curious in state politics. TB Jayachandra is the district in charge minister who is well known for sharpening his cudgels clandestinely against the PCC president in the manner Siddaramaiah played his cards in the previous general elections.
As a result the poor KPCC president who tirelessly toured the state incessantly and contributed his mite for romping back the party to the corridors of power had to cut a sorry face after being drubbed in his home constituency forget dreaming to become a chieftain of the Congress government.
In the changed situation the ruling party organized a huge rally at Koratagere some time back wherein the chief minister claimed that Parameshwar is bound to emerge victorious. He made these tall claims before the mammoth meeting whilst all those present in the front rows were busy looking at each other and smiling mischievously!
Kyatasandra R Rajanna is the sitting Congress MLA in the adjoining Madhugiri constituency and enjoys no better relations with the KPCC president. Nayaks the scheduled tribe people also have a major say in Koratagere to which Rajanna belongs to.
Likewise along with scheduled castes people belonging to Siddaramaiah’s Kuruba community are also significant in number. Sudhakarlal like the other six JDS MLAs’ are said to be facing anti incumbency factor which may be of advantage to Dr.Parameshwar.
Tumakuru district consists of the following eleven constituencies: Tumakuru city, Tumakuru Rural, Chikkanayakanahalli, Gubbi, Koratagere, Madhugiri, Tiptur, Turuvekere, Sira, Kunigal and Pavagada.
Probably it’s worthwhile recalling the votes polled by BS Yeddyurappa’s KJP candidates during the previous general elections to have an understanding about the damage done then and how the same may be of great help to the BJP this time. Here is the list of constituencies and the vote share of prominent candidates:Tumakuru City-S.Rafiq Ahmed (Congress)-43,681GB Jyothi Ganesh(KJP)-40,073N Govindaraju(JDS)-38,322Here BJP’s Sogadu Shivanna came fourth.
 Tumakuru Rural-B.Sureshgowda(BJP)-55,029Gowrishankar DC(JDS)-53,457H Ningappa(KJP)-22,709 Sira-TB Jayachandra(Congress)-74,089B Satyanarayana(JDS)-59,408 Kunigal-D.Nagarajaiah (Janata Dal Secular)-44,575D.Krishnakumar(BJP)-34,943 Pavagada (SC)-KM Timmarayappa(Janata Dal Secular)-68,686Venkatesh HV(Congress)-63,823 Madhugiri-KN Rajanna(Congress)-75,086M Veerbhadraiah(JDS)-60,659 Gubbi-SR Srinivas(Janata Dal Secular)-58,783GN Bettaswamy(KJP)-51,539Honnagirigowda(Congress)-18,548 Koratagere (SC)-Sudhakarlal(Janata Dal Secular)-72,229Dr.G.Parameshwar(Congress)-54,074Chandraiah(Vale)KJP-15,738 Turuvekere-MT Krishnappa(Janata Dal Secular)-66,089Masale Jayaram(KJP)-57,164Geetha Rajanna(Congress)-7,513 Tiptur-K Shadakshari(Congress)-56,817BC Nagesh(BJP)-45,215Lokeshwar(KJP)-28,667 Chikkanayakanahalli-Sureshbabu (Janata Dal Secular)-60,759KS Kirankumar(BJP)-29,150 
In this way there were six JDS MLAs’, four Congress legislators and one BJP representative in the outgoing Assembly. But the interesting factor that evokes significance is the combined total of BJP and KJP votes polled last time. If at all it’s a repeat performance of the same polling pattern this time again observers feel that BJP can easily win in all the constituencies but for Koratagere,Madhugiri,Sira and Pavagada.
The reason for such observation is that the fight in these four constituencies is mainly between the Indian National Congress and the Janata Dal Secular wherein the BJP is yet to make a footmark in terms of garnering substantial vote share to become a formidable rival much before becoming a winner.
The prospects of BJP look better this time as the splinter group KJP is back again with the main BJP party fold. But that alone cannot be a reason for solace as some party loyalists like Sogadu Shivanna,former minister,Kirankumar and Manjunath who received a severe drubbing due the huge vote share of KJP are still nursing their wounds.
So party insiders admit in private that unless these people are taken into confidence and are pacified with some concrete assurances that sooner or later they will be taken care of the danger they may manage cannot be ruled out.
The situation is no better with all six sitting Janata Dal Secular MLAs’ as according to B.Sureshgowda,Tumakuru Rural BJP MLA:All these people are facing anti incumbency factor against them more than the ruling party which already is down with the same. So under such circumstances BJP is bound to be the natural beneficiary in the process.
Well said it may appear but the big challenge now is as to who’ll bell the cat of dissidence. The journalist turned politician Sogadu Shivanna and state BJP president BS Yeddyurappa’s utterances and behavior in public is nothing less than sworn enemies for life. The former still continues to remain Editor of Sogadu Kannada daily.
For the Janata Dal Secular legislators it’s more the charisma of father and son HD Devegowda and HD Kumaraswamy along with the strong presence of Vokkaliga voters in many of the constituencies.
It’s also being rumored now that the pontiff of the all powerful Adichunchanagiri Mutt among the Vokkaliga community has called upon the community voters to elect Janata Dal Secular candidates and not the BJP.
But not all in the community are found to pay heed for such ‘clarion calls’.B.Sureshgowda,Tumakuru Rural BJP MLA who himself is a Vokkaliga tries to underplay  the effect :These days people more so the youths are much ahead than the traditional minds. They discuss so many things openly on social networking sites which couldn’t have even been thought of a few years back. All such calls may not mean much in reality.
At the same time he candidly admits: Yes there are about 40 percent of people among the Vokkaliga community who still believe that only HD Devegowda and HD Kumarswamy can strive for the wellbeing of the community. May be people of such mindset may continue to vote for the Janata Dal Secular irrespective of the candidate or the prevailing circumstances thereupon.
Hindusthan Samachar/Manohar Yadavatti

Bank’s Received An All time high fake currency, 480% jump in suspicious transactions.

by

The country’s banks received an all-time high amount of fake currency and also detected an over 480 per cent jump in suspicious transactions post demonetisation, a first-ever report on dubious deposits made in the wake of the 2016 notes ban has revealed.

The country’s banks received an all-time high amount of fake currency and also detected an over 480 per cent jump in suspicious transactions post demonetisation, a first-ever report on dubious deposits made in the wake of the 2016 notes ban has revealed. The banks, including those in the private, public and cooperative sectors, and other financial institutions collectively generated 400 per cent more suspicious transaction reports (STRs) at over 4.73 lakh such dossiers during 2016-17, the report said.

The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), that analyses suspicious financial transactions pertaining to money laundering and terror financing as part of the Union Finance Ministry establishment, reported that counterfeit currency transactions in the banking and other economic channels witnessed an increase by over 3.22 lakh instances during 2016-17 as compared to the last year. This, the report accessed by PTI said, had a link to demonetisaton of two high value currencies of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 which was declared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the night of November 8, 2016. “A noteworthy growth was also seen in the number of counterfeit currency reports (CCRs) which increased from more than 4.10 lakh in 2015-16 to over 7.33 lakh in 2016-17, which may also be attributed to the demonetisaton exercise,” it said.

The latest figure is the highest ever since the CCRs were first generated in the year 2008-09. CCRs are “transaction based reports” and they are generated only when a fake Indian currency note (FICN) is detected. As per FIU’s anti-money laundering rules, the banks and other financial bodies are required to report all cash transactions where forged or counterfeit currency notes or bank notes have been used as genuine or where any forgery of a valuable security or a document has taken place. The report did not specify the value of such fake currencies detected. The STRs, that are generated when a transaction either indicates that it has been made in circumstances of unusual or unjustified complexity or appears to have no economic rationale or bona fide purpose, also saw a record high rate of detection during the same period and an over 400 per cent jump from the comparative period just before demonetisaton.

“The number of STRs received in 2016-17 is 4,73,006 which is more than four times as compared to 2015-16 and this increase is attributed to demonetisaton exercise…,” the report said. It added that some volume of the increase in the number of STRs can also be credited to the outreach steps taken by the agency in sensitising banks and others to comply with the rule of mandatorily filing these reports under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). “The most notable increase (in generating STRs) was in the category of banks, which recorded almost a 489 per cent increase over 2015-16. The increase was 270 per cent in the category of financial intermediaries,” it said.

During 2015-16, while a total of 1.05 lakh STRs were generated out of which 61,361 were sent by banks it jumped to 3,61,215 post DeMo and 40,033 such reports were sent was by financial intermediaries that shot up to 94,837 post DeMo, the report said. All banks and financial institutions are required to generate STRs and subsequently send it to the FIU under the anti-money laundering law (PMLA). STRs are also generated by the banks for those transactions that give rise to a reasonable ground of suspicion that it may involve financing of the activities relating to terrorism.

Some of those generated post demonetisation, the report said, had “possible links” to terror funding. In the wake of these high numbers of reports CCRs and STRs coming in, the FIU ramped up its efforts in 2016-17 and disseminated 56,000 STRs to various investigative agencies like the Income Tax Department, the Enforcement Directorate, the CBI and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence among others as compared to 53,000 sent in the previous year. “The results of the STRs pertaining to demonetisation period will be seen in the subsequent years,” the report said in an indication towards the quantum of black money that would be unearthed after acting on these classified reports. It added that as it was apprehended that “unscrupulous persons possessing large amounts of demonetised notes may misuse” the window period given by the government to deposit the Rs 1000 and Rs 500 currencies in their bank accounts, over 30 new kinds of reports were “designed” to obtain information from the banks on the basis of identified parameters to detect suspicious cash deposits.

As part of FIU’s detection mechanism to check black money generation post demonetisation, the report said that the liberalised scheme of opening bank accounts with minimum KYC requirements, so as to reach banking services to every strata of society was “monitored very closely.” “Abnormal patterns of deposits made by individuals as well as high risk geographical areas were identified and information disseminated to concerned law enforcement agencies for action,” it said.

E C extends poll timings by an hour

by

The EC has extended the poll timings by one hour across all constituencies in the State after apprehension of lower voter turnout owing to extreme heat conditions in some parts. The State Assembly polls will now be held between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on May 12.

A gazette notification issued in this regard also cites the introduction of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), apart from the extreme heat conditions prevailing in the State now, as the reason for the extension of poll hours.

“After we had received suggestions on extension of timings of the poll, we had sent the proposal to the Election Commission, which has extended the timings by one hour,” Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar told presspersons here on Thursday.

In fact, when the polls were declared by the commission, parties as well as individuals had sought extension of time since extreme heat conditions prevail in the State during May, and especially in north Karnataka.

B S Yeddyurappa files nomination for Karnataka polls :Karnataka Assembly Election 2018

by

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Chief Ministerial candidate for the May 12 Karnataka Assembly polls, B S Yeddyurappa, on Thursday, April 19 filed his nomination papers from Shikaripura Assembly segment, a party official said.

“Yeddyurappa has filed his nomination from Shikaripura constituency,” the party’s state spokesman S. Shantharam said.

He will be contesting from his hometown Shikaripura in Shivamogga district, about 300 km northwest of Bengaluru, for the eighth time since 1983.

Yeddyurappa, 75, a Lok Sabha member from Shivamogga in the state’s Malnad region, was the BJP’s first Chief Minister in Karnataka from 2008 to 2011 when he resigned following an indictment by the state ombudsman (Lokayukta) in a multi-crore mining scam.

In a related development, another BJP leader K.S. Eshwarappa, the party’s leader in the state Legislative Council, also filed his nomination from Shivamogga Assembly segment.

Eshwarappa, who was the Deputy Chief Minister in the BJP’s first government in the state from 2008 to 2013, will be contesting from the seat for the sixth time. He lost the seat in the 2013 Assembly elections to the Congress.

Also, the ruling Congress’ Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar filed his nomination from Kanakapura in Ramanagara district, about 55 km from Bengaluru.

Polling across the state’s 224 Assembly segments will take place in a single phase on May 12 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Votes are to be counted on May 15, as per the notification issued by Governor Vajubhai R. Vala on Tuesday.

According to it, April 24 is the last date for filing nominations. Scrutiny of nominations will be on April 25 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is April 27.

KNOW US

GET INVOLVED

PROMOTE

Archives