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.

Ex-Prime Minister Deve Gowda’s son Kumaraswamy, his movable and immovable assets amount to Rs 43 crore, up from the Rs 16 crore he had declared in 2013.

Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy is the richest chief ministerial candidate in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections, followed by Congress incumbent Siddaramaiah and BJP state unit chief BS Yeddyurappa.

As the per the election affidavits submitted by ex-Prime Minister Deve Gowda’s son Kumaraswamy, his movable and immovable assets amount to Rs 43 crore, up from the Rs 16 crore he had declared in 2013.

In the affidavit, Kumaraswamy’s wife declared assets worth Rs 124 crore, an over Rs 20 crore increase from 2013. The JD(S) state chief and his wife declared liabilities worth Rs 2.9 crore and Rs 8.1 crore, respectively.

Kumaraswamy, a former chief minister, is contesting from two seats this election — Ramanagara which he had won in 2013 by a margin of 40,000 votes and Channapatna, the seat his wife Anitha Kumaraswamy contested from and lost to Yogeeshwara, the then Samajwadi Party candidate.

CM Siddaramaiah, who also filed his nomination papers on Friday, has declared movable and immovable assets worth 11.20 crore, while his wife Parvathi declared assets worth Rs 7.60 crore. They have also declared assets worth Rs 1.55 crore under Hindu Undivided Family (HUF).

They declared liabilities worth Rs 2.59 crore and Rs 2.26 crore, respectively.

Yeddyurappa, who was the first among the trio to file his nomination, has declared assets worth Rs 4.09 crore, while in 2013 he had declared Rs 5.8 crore.

Senior BJP leader and Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Sri. H. N. Ananth Kumar
has said Chief Minister, Sri. Siddaramaiah has chosen to contest from second constituency as he has sensed defeat in his
home constituency of Chamundeshwari.

Addressing a Press Conference here today the BJP leader said the Congress Chief Minister had been telling that
he would contest only from Chamundeshwari but had now indicated his contest also from Badami constituency in
Bagalkot district. He had sensed groundswell against him in his home turf.
Sri. Ananth Kumar said there was no surprise in his migration from Chamundeshwari to Badami. In fact, he had
mastered the art of migration. Sri Siddaramaiah began his political journey from anti-Congress Socialist Movement
spearheaded by Jayaprakash Narayan, and he dedicated most part of his political life in criticising the policies of NehruGandhi
family led Congress. Finally, he landed up in Congress, the political party which hated most. It was an ideological
migration of Siddaramaiah.
The Union Minister said Sri Siddaramaiah was a “Master of Aayaram Gayaram”. He was a “Migratory Bird”.
Spending some time in Janata Party he moved over to Janata Dal, Samajwadi Janata Party and later Janata Dal (Secular).
He started AHINDA politics and set up his own political outfit and finally defected to most opportunistic and corrupt
Congress. It was his migration of parties. His brand of migratory politics had taken a full circle with his shifting to another
constituency.

Sri Ananth Kumar said the people of Karnataka were fed up with Siddaramaiah led Congress regime. The
increased incidents of heinous crime, lawlessness, corruption had become a hallmark of Congress regime. Over 3600
farmers committed suicides. It showed how distressed condition the agriculture community was in. Wherever, Sri.
Siddaramaiah might go and contest elections but people were just waiting to defeat him.
When asked whether the battle had been set between Siddaramaiah and BJP, the Union Minister said the
Congress leader was resisted by his own party men. The grand old party was totally divided between old Congressmen
like Sri Mallikarjun Kharge and recent entrants like Sri Siddaramaiah. The recent migrants had totally corned old guards.
Now, it was Low Command in Congress once known for High Command culture.
Mr. Ananth Kumar expressed confidence that the BJP would form the next Government with two-thirds
majority. The BJP performance in Karnataka would be like that of UP.
He said the BJP President, Sri. Amith Shah had a unique style of functioning and would reach out to people from
different walks of life during his visit. The party had membership of more than 11 crore in India and one crore in
Karnataka. We had opened call centres in all 224 constituencies, through which the members were being put to party
work.

On the question why his party targeted only Congress he said it was because Congress was its main opponent.
Though the JDS was in the reckoning in some part of Karnataka the people knew that only BJP could dislodge Congress.
He termed the Congress party’s bid to impeach Chief Justice of India was extremely unfortunate. It was an
onslaught on constitutional institution. The line between Constitution and constitutional institute was very thin, and its
sanctity should be protected, he added.
– S.