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

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.

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.

An Unwell Congress candidate A. L. Pushpa, who failed to get ‘B’ Form even though her name featured on the list of Congress candidates, was admitted to a private hospital in Bengaluru.

In the recent Congress list for the Karnataka Assembly elections, Jagalur ticket was given to Pushpa. However, MLA Rajesh succeeded in getting the ‘B’ form by putting pressure on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress High-command, it is learnt.

A visibly dejected Pushpa had openly criticised KPCC President Parameshwara for denying her the ‘B’ form in spite of getting the ticket from Jagalur. In an open allegation, she complained of cheating a Dalit woman and shed tears.

Sources close to the family said that these developments affected her health and she has been admitted to the hospital for further medical care.

The Calcutta High Court has asked the State Election Commission to announce fresh panchayat poll dates in West Bengal and extend the nomination dates after opposition parties alleged that the ruling TMC government had unleashed a reign of terror and stopped their candidates from filing nominations.

A single-judge bench of Justice Subrata Talukdar asked the poll panel to consult with the state government for the fresh dates and issue a notification soon. The decision is a blow for the Mamata Banerjee-led state government as it had fought against the extension.

The order was passed in response to a writ petition filed by the state’s opposition parties alleging large scale violence and intimidation by the ruling TMC that led to obstruction in filing of nominations.

Congress’ Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury called the order a moral victory. “The EC was acting on behalf of the state government. I have also requested the high court for deployment of central forces during panchayat polls,” he said.

The panchayat election in the state — scheduled to be held between May 1 and May 8 had been stalled by an order of Justice Talukdar last week after the state election commission extended time for filing nominations but then then reversed it the next day.

The opposition parties in the state – BJP, Congress and the Left – had accused the election watchdog of toeing the line of the state government by reversing its decision on the nomination date. After the parties moved the court, the SEC told the court that the judiciary could not intervene once the election process had started.

Chief Minister Banerjee had accused the opposition of deliberately delaying the polls and said that it had stalled development works in West Bengal, as the model code of conduct was in force.

“If you really believe in the people, then why are you not going in for the elections? You are deliberately delaying the process, putting up various political questions. I will not comment about the court’s verdict. The state has progressed a lot. But I feel sorry that because the code of conduct is in place, we cannot take any new decision,” she had said.

TMC general secretary Partha Chatterjee had alleged that the opposition parties were not ready to face the poll process. “They know that they will be rejected by the people and therefore they are delaying the process,” he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released its third list of candidates for the Assembly elections next month. BS Yeddyurappa’s son BY Raghavendra is yet to be named in any of the lists. 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.

The day the Supreme Court dismissing petitions seeking an SIT probe into the death of Judge B.H. Loya, the BJP asked its MPs to attack Congress President Rahul Gandhi demanding his apology by holding press conferences and on social media platforms.

A letter issued by BJP Parliamentary party on Thursday also provided written material for all the party MPs asking them to run campaign against Gandhi and the Congress for defaming party President Amit Shah in their respective constituencies.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud on Thursday dismissed the PIL seeking the SIT probe into the death of Judge Loya in 2014 in Maharashtra’s Nagpur.

Loya was heading the trial court that was holding a trial in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh alleged fake shootout case in which Amit Shah is an accused.

“Every MP should give byte to local TV channels, issue a press statement and hold press conference asking Rahul Gandhi to apologize for defaming Amit Shah,” the letter issued with a sign of BJP’s parliamentary secretary Balasubrahmanyam Kamarsu read.

The party also asked the MPs to use all the social media platforms, including Twitter and WhatsApp or SMS, to campaign over the issue.

“Retweet the tweets by central BJP leaders and use local languages,” the letter read.

Congress Spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala posted the letter on his twitter account, saying the effort was to stop an enquiry into the case.

“Lameduck efforts by a vile BJP to stop an enquiry into Judge Loya death reaches its zenith as copycats are regimented to toe the fascist line!,” Surjewala said in a tweet.

He said: “So much for democratic functioning where power to think, speak and tweet is held captive by self anointed shenanigans of free speech!!!”

A political slugfest erupted on Thursday after the court’s verdict with the BJP accusing Rahul Gandhi as the “invisible hand” behind the pleas for “character assassination” of Amit Shah.

Gandhi had attacked Shah, saying truth has its own way of catching up with people like him.

(IANS)

The Congress-led seven opposition parties on Friday met Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu and submitted an impeachment motion for the removal of Chief Justice Dipak Misra.

“We have moved an impeachment motion for removal of CJI Dipak Misra under five listed grounds,” Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad told a press conference after meeting Vice President Naidu.

He said while submitting the motion, the opposition party leaders did not discuss its merits but just requested that “this is our motion and the number required is sufficient under the constitution”.

He said that 71 MPs from seven political parties had signed the impeachment motion but as seven have retired, the number is now 64.