G. Subramanyam Sharma, 44, the grandson of former President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975), is contesting from Malleswaram constituency in the May 12 Karnataka Assembly elections as a candidate of a fringe party to erase “inequality” in the state.

“As inequality between rich and the poor is widening in society, someone has to balance it through the system, into which I want to enter and usher in equality,” Sharma, a candidate of the newly-formed All India Mahila Empowerment Party (AIMEP), told IANS in an interview.

The Chennai-born Sharma, who moved to Bengaluru over a decade ago (2006), turned a serial entrepreneur to provide jobs for others .His family-owned Sudeeksha Group is into diverse businesses spanning pharmacy, infrastructure, movies and dairy farming.

“I originally come from a family of academicians, and not politicians,” said Sharma, whose father is renowned philosopher-statesman Radhakrishnan’s nephew (sister’s son).

Radhakrishnan was the second President of India from 1962 to 1967. Sharma is also related to V.V. Giri (1894-1980), who was the fourth President from 1969 to 1974, from his father’s side (paternal grandfather’s brother).

Sharma, after years of working as an entrepreneur, wanted to step up as a change-maker and find solutions to improve the healthcare, education and job-providing capabilities of Indian society.

With initial plans to contest as an Independent in the ensuing polls, he prepared an election manifesto with the changes he and the people in the constituency wished to bring about in the locality.

“I had no intention of joining any of the three national parties — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress or the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) — as they’ve never really worked towards people’s issues and have only blamed each other for political gains,” Sharma asserted.

In his poll manifesto, Sharma has outlined plans to provide free electricity to the whole constituency by setting up solar panels on all the rooftops of homes, upgrade the public health centres, government hospitals and public schools in the Malleswaram area, one of the oldest localities of this tech hub, through better infrastructure. He also wants to work towards youth in each household of Malleswaram being employed.

But after a meeting with AIMEP’s founder and national president Nowhera Shaik, a Hyderabad-based businesswoman who set up the party in November 2017 to contest in the May 12 election, Sharma was convinced that his ideology was in line with the party’s.

“I was certain after meeting Shaik that the party is for all common people — from auto rickshaw drivers to working citizens, and believes in the same social balance I aim to achieve. I joined the party and was allowed to retain the manifesto I planned for my constituency,” the 44-year-old recalled.

The AIMEP, which had announced it would field candidates from all the 224 constituencies in the state, has fielded over 170 candidates.

If elected, Sharma also plans to hold job fairs in the constituency to provide jobs for the youth from each of the households — in public and private sectors.

“I hope that in this election people will give a chance and opt for other parties than the national parties, and for candidates who truly want to bring a change in the state,” added Sharma.

Speaking at meeting in press club programme organized by the press club Bangalore
Dr. Nowhera Shaik is National President MEP said that MEP does not believe in corruption and we have come with an aim of clean politics and justify for humanity.
Dr. Nowhera Shaik added that MEP is not assigned to any political party or any political leader and MEP has not come to split voters of any party.
The Votes belongs to the people and they have all the rights to vote for whichever party they want, I have been involved in most of the social and charitable causes since the last 25 Years and I have seen the poverty and hunger of the people and I decided to come to my own party. All political parties have given fake promises and they have not given the benefits to the poor and needy.
Dr. Nowhera Shaik said that MEP party has given 52 seats for women, unlike others parties which have given 2 to 3 seats.
MEP party a short span of form of 4 months has taken Karnataka by strong and we are confident of forming the govt She added MEP party has given tickets to all section of society said that she will give free education to all and waive of the loan for farmers and give loan for the poor once they come to power.
On Talaq issue Dr Nowhera shaik told that one should abide by supreme court verdict She also said that one should not waste their vote by voting for NOTA instead of vote for the candidate of your choice she said that MEP will contest all Loka sabha seat as well as contest all assembly election of the state in future.
She added that she will try to solve the dispute in Kashmir and her sympathy with the army man who aims martyred every day.
Dr shaik with confident said that the people of Karnataka who have showered their blessings on MEP will definitely stand by MEP on a voting Day

Six Delhi Police personnel were suspended for allegedly assaulting a local BJP leader and his sons in a police station, a police official said on Tuesday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Aslam Khan told IANS that the six personnel were from the Ranibagh police station in north Delhi.

“We have initiated high level inquiry into the matter.. till the time the police personnel are being suspended and the SHO sent to the Police Lines,” Khan said.

The incident took place in Saraswati Vihar area on the night of May 6, where these police personnel asked for a scooty from local Bharatiya Janata Party leader Surendra Agrawal.

When he denied them, the policemen took Agrawal and two of his sons to the police station and beat them. They had also slapped Agrawal’s wife.

As the entire incident taken place in presence of the SHO, he was also shifted from his post.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday urged the Election Commission to countermand the Assembly election in the Rajarajeshwari Nagar segment of the city’s southwest suburb after about 10,000 allegedly fake voter IDs were allegedly found in the locality.

“The BJP demands countermanding of elections in Rajarajeshwari Nagar in light of latest revelations of tens of thousands of fake voter IDs and empty packets of hard currency. This is Congress conspiracy to rig election in the face of their imminent defeat,” tweeted Union Human Resource Minister and the party’s in-charge for state polls Prakash Javadekar.

The state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjiv Kumar, addressing the reporters on late Tuesday night, said 9,746 voter cards were seized from a flat in the constituency.

“After a surprise visit was paid to a flat in Jalahalli locality (in the Rajarajeshwari constituency) nearly 9,746 voter ID cards were found. Five laptops and one printer was also found in the flat,” Kumar said.

There were over a lakh slips resembling acknowledgement slips used for adding names into the electoral rolls, the CEO said.

“On preliminary verification, these voter ID cards were found to be genuine, but the counterfoils need to be verified through investigation.”

The EC will register a First Information Report (FIR) on the matter and would take action after investigation, Kumar added.

The Assembly election across 223 constituencies of the state will be held on May 12.

Of the 225-member lower house, including one nominated, election in the Jayanagar seat in south Bangalore has been countermanded and postponed owing to the death of BJP candidate B.N. Vijaya Kumar on May 4. Votes will be counted on May 15

(IANS)

After having lost the assembly elections in Maharashtra, Goa, Assam and Himachal Pradesh among other states, it was time for the Congress to bid adieu to Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Wednesday.

“It is now time for the Congress Party to depart Karnataka. Wherever in the country there has been an election opportunity, the party has (lost)” the Prime Minister said addressing a rally here.

“What will happen in Karnataka on May 15,” he asked referring to the day on which the votes cast will be counted.

Taking a dig at Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s statement on becoming the Prime Minister in 2019, Modi said: “He came like those bullies, barging his way ahead when there are others who have many years of experience.”

“How can someone just declare himself as the Prime Minister? This is simply nothing but arrogance,” he said.

Modi also said that the six Cs of the Congress — “culture, communalism, casteism, crime, corruption, and contractualism” — has “ruined” every state that they have been in power.

“When (former Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh had his government in the Centre, the remote control was at the 10, Janpath (official residence of former Congress President Sonia Gandhi),” he said.

Under his rule, Modi said, it is the people of the country who hold the remote control.

The Prime Minister said he would continue to follow the orders of the “high command” — the countrymen, the citizens.

“Whenever Congress gets a chance to form its government anywhere, only corruption grows. Under the Bharatiya Janata Party, only good things get a chance.”

(IANS)

Separate BMRG Act to govern Bengaluru city – Ananth Kumar
Integrated Transport System; Multi-point connectivity to Airport
BENGALURU, MAY Tuesday vowed to make the city a truly world class metropolitan.
Releasing the manifesto, Namma Bengalurige Namma Vachana the Union Minister for Parliamentary
Affairs, Chemical Fertilisers, Sri H. N. Ananth Kumar said – the party decided to have a separate manifesto because
the Silicon City of Bengaluru is like Mini-Bharat with a population of more than one crore.
In the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Pailke (BBMP) elections, the Union Minister said, although BJP got
clear majority winning 102 wards out of 198-wards, Congress and JDS, through an opportunistic alliance, captured
power by cooking up a majority (local resident MLCs also having voting power). Their maladministration and
corruption ruined the city. The holy nexus of contractors, builders and land mafia got further fillip from State
Congress regime. They gave “3G Bhagya” which means Goondaism, Gundi (potholes) and Garbage. To reverse this
condition Bengaluru needs a special attention.
Sri. Ananth Kumar, who represents Bengaluru South Lok Sabha segments, said a new legislation –
Bangalore Metropolitan Regional Governance Act (BMRGA) – will be enacted.
He said – Kempe Gowda International Airport at Devanahalli will have Multi Point Airport Metro link. Also,
present Metro network will be expanded in all directions. The Purple line of Namma Metro will be extended up to
Hosakote Bus Terminus through Kadugodi and on the other side it would be extended up to Bidadi Bus Terminus
through Kengeri. The new R V Road Metro line to Bommasandra will be extended up to Attibele.
Sri. Ananth Kumar said – the Union Government will extend all help to new BJP Government in Karnataka
to integrate Metro, Suburban Railway and BMTC bus services, which will lead to seamless transport system in the
city. A special purpose vehicle Bengaluru Rail Infrastructure Development Enterprises (B-RIDE) will be formed to
speed up the suburban railway work.
Sri. Anath Kumar, who hold Chemicals portfolio, said – Janaushadi Outlets (Generic Medical Store) will be
opened in all the 198 wards of Bengaluru.
Former Deputy Chief Minister, R Ashok said – major steps would be taken to regain the green cover of
Bengaluru. At least one crore trees would be planted in Bengaluru. Focus will also be given to improve a law and
order situation in Bengaluru, he added.
Union HRD Minister and party in-charge Karnataka elections, Sri Prakash Javadekar; MPs Sri P C Mohan and
Sri Rajiv Chandrashekhar; State BJP General Secretary, Sri Ravikumar; former Minister Sri S Suresh Kumar and MLA,
Dr. Ashwathnarayana were present.

Congress leaders in Manipur on Tuesday demanded a clarification from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on reports that there will some autonomy for Nagas in Manipur after a final agreement on the vexed Naga problem is signed.

R.N. Ravi, the Centre’s interlocutor, told a newspaper recently that the government was pretty close to finalising the Naga Peace accord.

One report said that there will be an autonomous Naga territorial council in Naga-majority areas of Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. The news sparked protests in Manipur.

Former Congress MLA N. Bijoy told the media on Tuesday that Modi should not do anything that may affect the social and political scenario in Manipur.

Laisom Ibomcha, another former legislator, said: “What was published based on the disclosure of the central interlocutor is against the well-known stand of the Congress.

“The merger agreement signed between the Centre and Manipur should be remembered while signing an agreement that will affect Manipur.”

R.K. Anand of Congress said that the proposed agreement should not be finalised on communal lines. “What had transpired is a mockery of the people of Manipur. Manipur had been granted a Part C status and a territorial council was constituted.

“Manipur could demand a Kashmir-like status under the provisions of the merger agreement.” He also demanded a categorical clarification by Modi, calling it a very serious issue.

Talks have been going on for years between the Central government and Naga outfit NSCN-IM, which wants the unification of the “land of the Nagas” by slicing off Naga-inhabited areas of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur to form a Greater Nagaland.

BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday May 8 held a huge rally through the city streets, campaigning for BJP’s Mangaluru South candidate Vedavyas Kamath.

The rally began at PVS and passed through Navabharat circle and ended at Car Street. He held another rally at Kavoor thereafter.

Addressing the crowd of about 2,000 people, Amit Shah attacked the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in the state and said, “Siddaramaiah government will be sent home on May 15. I am here to campaign in Mangaluru. So many Hindus have been murdered here but no arrests made. It is time for Siddaramaiah to be thrown out.”

Urging people to vote for Vedavyas Kamath, he said, “Press the button for lotus symbol and strengthen PM Modi’s hands to build this nation. Bring BJP to power in the state with Yeddyurappa as the chief minister. Once Yeddyurappa becomes the CM, the murderers who are in hiding now will be traced and punished.”

Amit Shah also conducted a road show from Kolya to Thokkottu to campaign for Mangaluru (Ullal) BJP candidate Santhosh Rai Boliyar. As thousands of BJP workers took part in the rally, the talk that there is BJP wave in Ullal could be heard from local circles.

The road show was held from Kolya Saubhagyasabha Bhavan to Ullal circle, Thokkottu in the presence of thousands of workers. Though the rally was scheduled earlier from Kapikad to Thokkottu-Kallapu, it was taken from Kapikad to Thokkottu to prevent hindrance for the movement of traffic. Police stopped the rally at Ullal circle to the disappointment of the party workers who wanted to proceed with it to Thokkottu town.

The alliance between the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Janata Dal (Secular) or JDS formed for the first time in Karnataka this year may work more to the advantage of the former in the state.

The party, the BSP, may win one seat (Kollegal) in Chamarajanagar district in south Karnataka or suffer defeat by a narrow margin in the Assembly elections to be held on May 12.

It will provide some relief to the party that has suffered badly in remote Uttar Pradesh which was the party’s launching pad. In addition to the Lok Sabha and two Assembly elections, the party has put up a poor show in the Rajya Sabha elections in UP. Its lone candidate has lost despite support from its old enemy, the Samajwadi Party.

Seeing a chance, party supremo Mayawati had travelled all the way to the state and campaigned for two days last month. Her partymen are seeking elections from 17 other seats but her best bet is Kollegal.

There are quite a few reasons behind it. First, her candidate N. Mahesh was a runner-up in this constituency in 2013. He was defeated by the Congress with a narrow margin of 10,000 votes. The party had won this seat with a bigger margin in the previous polls. As far as voting percentage is concerned, the BSP had got 25 per cent of the valid votes.

Expectedly, the BSP has fielded the same candidate this year whose chance of winning is rated high in the party circles. He is equally popular in some other sections, youth particularly.

“The BSP candidate is holding number one position at present (three days before the polling). The fight here is triangular with the Congress and the BJP joining the battle”, tells Kumaraswamy, a young voter in the constituency.

The reason given by him is the support extended by the JDS. “The JDS is a major force in this region. It had won 24 seats in this belt. The party had not bagged as many seats in any other region”, he adds.

What should worry the BSP is that the BJP had not fought elections that year unitedly. The KJP which was formed after split had secured 22 per cent votes. It has been merged with the BJP which had got 12 per cent additional votes.

The BSP which has formed an alliance with the JDS in this state is not being supported by the Samajwadi Party like Uttar Pradesh. In UP, the two had joined hands to defeat the BJP in two by-elections and had succeeded in its plan. Both the Lok Sabha seats, Gorakhpur and Phulpur, were wrested by the SP from the BJP.

The SP has fielded more than 20 candidates in the state, fighting alone. It had won one seat, Channapatna, in the previous polls but the party’s successful candidate has switched over to the BJP.

The BSP is well placed in Kollegal but not in three other constituencies, Chamarajanagar, Hanur and Gundulpet in Chamarajanagar district. The BSP had faced a rough weather in all these constituencies. In Gundulpet, for instance, it had secured only four per cent votes in 2013.

The BJP which had not opened an account in the district in 2013 is likely to do well in all the three constituencies. The party’s better result hope is based on the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and large crowd which had collected to listen to him in the district.

But it should cause more worries to the ruling Congress than the BSP or the JDS.

Hindusthan Samachar/ R. Narayan/ Shri Ram Shaw

Congress President Rahul Gandhi once again took a dig at JD(S) today by calling it “Janata Dal Sangh Parivar” and asked its leaders to make it clear where they stand in this election, which he termed as a battle of ideologies.

“One side is BJP,other side Congress party and in between is Janata Dal (Secular). The question is in this battle of ideologies, where does the Janata Dal stand?” he asked.

Addressing a rally at nearby Devanahalli, he said “In their (JDS) name there is S that stands for Secular. But in this election it looks like Janata Dal has changed its name and Janata Dal(S) means Janata Dal Sangh Parivar.”

Earlier too the Congress President, currently on the ninth phase of his poll campaign in Karnataka, where election is scheduled on May 12, had called JD(S) as Janata Dal Sangh Parivar and the ‘B team’ of BJP.

Congress withdraws petition challenging Rajya Sabha Chairman’s rejection of CJI impeachment move

Gandhi asked “Are they truly secular, or in this election are they supporting BJP, Yeddyurappa, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah? They have to make it clear.”

“Janata Dal leaders have to tell whether they are on this side or that side, because this is not any other election; this election is about Karnataka’s future. This is the election to save Basavanna’s thinking.”

Recalling 12th century social reformer Basavanna’s saying “Nudidante Nade” (practice as you preach), Gandhi said “I’m asking JD(S) the same question, what is in your heart? Speak it out.”

Recently after heaping praise on former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi too had attacked his party. He had claimed that Congress and JD(S) had entered into a “secret” pact for the Karnataka Assembly polls and the party was “protecting” the Congress.

(PTI)