By R. Narayan

Small parties contesting Karnataka elections, in addition to home-coming of two BJP factions, may upset Congress calculations this year.

The party hopes to retain power and win more than 113 seats, but these parties may spoil its plan.

A scrutiny of previous records reveals that the Congress had gained considerably from three-way BJP vote-split. The party had not fought 2013 elections unitedly and was divided in three parts.

Two of its groups led by B S. Yeddyurappa and B. Sriramulu had contested previous elections separately. These two had garnered about 15 per cent votes. The former had got more than 10 per cent vote-share.

If these votes had been added to the party’s votes the percentage of the BJP votes would have almost equaled the percentage of votes of the Congress.

The BJP had collected about 20 per cent votes in the previous polls, while the Congress had got 36.5 per cent. With addition of 15 votes of the splinter groups, the BJP total would have gone up to 35.

As these groups have rejoined the party, the BJP is in a far better position than in 2013. Neither the BJP nor the Congress has bagged more than 36.5 per cent votes in last three elections.

Small parties may affect the Congress prospect further. Among these parties are Sharad Pawar’s NCP, Nitish Kumar’s JDU, Mayawati’s BSP and All-India Women Empowerment Party.

One impact they can make is reduce the victory margin in many seats to 1000 or below. It may help the BJP because of merger of Yeddyurappa’s and Sriramulu parties.

Hindusthan Samachar/ R.Narayan/ Shri Ram Shaw

Karnataka’s ruling Congress on Sunday declared 218 candidates for the May 12 assembly elections, withholding names for remaining six seats of the 224-member house.

According to Congress General Secretary Mukul Wasnik, who released the list in the national capital, the candidates were selected by the party’s Central Election Committee from the names its screening committee recommended after a two-day meeting in New Delhi on April 9-10.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, 69, will contest from Chamundeshwari in Mysuru, where he had contested seven times since 1983 and won five times.

Though he was re-elected from the adjacent Varuna seat in Mysuru district in the May 2013 assembly polls, the party high command has agreed to field his son Yatindra from his home constituency this time.

Contrary to media reports, Siddaramaiah will not contest from any other constituency, especially Badami in Bagalkot district as speculated, with the party fielding Devraj Patil from it.

Party’s state unit President G. Parameshwara will contest from Korategere in Tumakuru district from where he lost in the last assembly poll. State Working President Dinesh Gundu Rao will fight from Gandhinagar in Bengaluru.

Among the other prominent candidates are Ministers K.C. George, Roshan Baig, Ramalinga Reddy and Krishna Byre Gowda from the Bengaluru seats they represent in the outgoing assembly.

Bengaluru Mayor G. Sampathraj will contest from C.V Raman Nagar in the city and former Mayor G. Padmavathi from Rajajinagar suburb.

The party has given tickets to 15 women candidates, including Women and Child Welfare Minster Umashree from Tardal, Lakshmi Ravindra Hebbalkar from Belgaum Rural, Anjali Nimbalkar from Khanapur, Soumya R. from Jayanagar and Sushma Rajgopal Reddy from Bommanahalli.

Other women nominees are Kirtana Rudra Gowda from Belur, Shakunthala T. Shetty from Puttur, M.C. Mohan Kumari from Gundlupet,, K. Fatima from Gulbarga North, Motamma from Mudigere, Vani Krishnareddy from Chintamani, Roopa Sasidhar from Kolar Gold Field, Sharada Mohan Shetty from Kumta and A.L. Pushpa from Jagalur.

The party is yet to name candidates for Shantinagar segment in Bengaluru Central, Kittar, Nagthan, Sindgi, Raichur and Melukote.

The Congress returned to power after a decade in 2013, winning 122 seats and Siddaramaiah breaking a 40-year-old record to complete the five-year term as Chief Minister.

The opposition BJP released its first list of 72 candidates on April 8, while Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) named 126 nominees on March 27.
Vote count is on May 15.

In the Aircel-Maxis matter arising out of the 2G spectrum cases, Karti Chidambaram on Monday (April 16) was granted interim protection from arrest till Mar 2 by a Delhi court.

CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed two separate cases in the matter.

Karti, son of Congress leader P. Chidambaram, had filed a plea seeking protection from arrest in the Aircel-Maxis matter, in which the CBI and the ED lodged cases in 2011 and 2012.

Hindusthan Samachar/Shri Ram Shaw

By R. Narayan
Mysuru, Apr 16 (HS): The Congress list of Karnataka Assembly election contestants released on Sunday has disappointed more than it has pleased. This is one of the conclusions one can draw from protest rallies and demonstrations in different parts of the state after the list was made public.

Among those who hit the road expressing resentment were supporters of chief minister Siddaramaiah in north Karnataka who were expecting him to fight from Badami constituency in addition to Chamundeshwari in Mysuru district.
Their hope was not based on rumour but hard facts. His office had even announced the date when he was scheduled to file nomination papers from the two seats. The date given for Badami was April 23 and Chamundeshwari April 20.
Their disappointment can be better understood in the light of two facts: one the sitting MLA from Badami had agreed to leave the seat for the chief minister and, two, it was a safer constituency, safer than Chamundeshwari. To all of them the list has come as a shock. Badami seat has been offered to Deoraj Patil.
Some state party leaders see a party president Rahul Gandhi stamp in this decision. “His contesting from two seats would have sent a wrong signal that even the political head of the state is shaky, let alone others”, said one of them.
However, there are others in the party who believe that the Siddaramaiah had a say in the list. According to them, most of his followers have been given tickets. However, he may be a little disappointment because some party hoppers who he disliked have been also accommodated.
As many eight persons who had joined the party recently and had belonged to either the Congress or the Janata Dal (S) will be given Congress symbol.
There is also resentment in the Muslim community because only 15 members of the community have been selected. Nineteen Muslim candidates had fought the previous state Assembly elections. An equal number of women will seek elections on behalf of the party.
There is a section in the party which is angry with the party leadership for selecting even those who were not runners-up and had fared badly. A name mentioned in this connection by many was that of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president.
Party rivals, the BJP and the JD (S), are critical of the party for allotting seats to family members of sitting Assembly members. Their number is given as four. One such member is Ramalinga Reddy, minister for revenue, whose daughter Soumya, will contest May 12 elections along with others.
Another highlight of the list is re-selection of film actor Ambareesh for Mandya seat.
Hindusthan Samachar/ R.Narayan / Shri Ram Shaw\

Close on the heels of a Kerala reporter naming his new born daughter after Kathua rape victim, here in Mangaluru, a Mangaluru City Corporation Corporator has taken the step of renaming her eight-year-old daughter after the eight-year-old girl who was gangraped and murdered in Kathua.

Addressing a news conference, on Monday Corporator Prathibha Kulai said that the Kathua rape incident has marred the pride of Indians.

However, in memory of the little girl who was subjected to atrocities that words cannot express, Prathibha said that her daughter Prithvi will have Kathua rape victim’s name prefixed to her name henceforth.

“I feel ashamed to call myself an Indian. I say this despite knowing it well that the ‘BJP Hindus’ will attack me over my views. But, this is not the kind of Hinduism that I was taught. My religion teaches me to love all religions,” she said holding the government and the law responsible for rising number of rape cases in the country.

Recalling the infamous pub and church attack incidents in Mangaluru, she said that it was imperative for women to think and cast their vote in favour of party that secures the rights of women.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said that his slogans- ‘Beti Padao, Beti Bachao’ holds little significance because it so seems that he has scant respect for women himself.

Speaking about UP CM Yogi Adityanath, she said that he too does not know the pain of a woman.

She said that some of the BJP youth had misbehaved with her during the Lok Sabha polls, when she was out for campaigning and she is running from pillar to post seeking justice.

Karnataka’s ruling Congress on Sunday declared 218 candidates for the May 12 assembly elections, withholding names for remaining six seats of the 224-member house.

According to Congress General Secretary Mukul Wasnik, who released the list in the national capital, the candidates were selected by the party’s Central Election Committee from the names its screening committee recommended after a two-day meeting in New Delhi on April 9-10.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, 69, will contest from Chamundeshwari in Mysuru, where he had contested seven times since 1983 and won five times.

Though he was re-elected from the adjacent Varuna seat in Mysuru district in the May 2013 assembly polls, the party high command has agreed to field his son Yatindra from his home constituency this time.

Contrary to media reports, Siddaramaiah will not contest from any other constituency, especially Badami in Bagalkot district as speculated, with the party fielding Devraj Patil from it.

Party’s state unit President G. Parameshwara will contest from Korategere in Tumakuru district from where he lost in the last assembly poll. State Working President Dinesh Gundu Rao will fight from Gandhinagar in Bengaluru.

Among the other prominent candidates are Ministers K.J. George, Roshan Baig, Ramalinga Reddy and Krishna Byre Gowda from the seats they represent in the 14th outgoing legislative assembly from Bengaluru.

Bengaluru Mayor G. Sampathraj will contest from C.V Raman Nagar in the city and former Mayor G. Padmavathi from Rajajinagar suburb.

The party has given tickets to 15 women candidates, including Women and Child Welfare Minster Umashree from Tardal, Lakshmi Ravindra Hebbalkar from Belgaum Rural, Anjali Nimbalkar from Khanapur, Soumya R. from Jayanagar and Sushma Rajgopal Reddy from Bommanahalli.

Other women nominees are Kirtana Rudra Gowda from Belur, Shakunthala T. Shetty from Puttur, M.C. Mohan Kumari from Gundlupet,, K. Fatima from Gulbarga North, Motamma from Mudigere, Vani Krishnareddy from Chintamani, Roopa Sasidhar from Kolar Gold Field, Sharada Mohan Shetty from Kumta and A.L. Pushpa from Jagalur.

The party is yet to name candidates for Shantinagar segment in Bengaluru Central, Kittar, Nagthan, Sindgi, Raichur and Melukote.

The Congress returned to power after a decade in 2013, winning 122 seats and Siddaramaiah breaking a 40-year-old record to complete the five-year term as Chief Minister.

The opposition BJP released its first list of 72 candidates on April 8, while Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) named 126 nominees on March 27.

Vote count is on May 15.

(IANS)

Tabu Gundu Rao, wife of minister Dinesh Gundu Rao lashed out at Mysuru BJP MP Pratap Simha for dragging her into a controversy and said that he should follow the principles of Kuvempu’s philosophy instead of ‘sowing the seeds of ill will in the society’.

On Saturday, April 14 Gundu Rao during a candlelight protest to condemn the Katua rape had allegedly asked the people of Karnataka to thrash Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath with chappals accusing him of shielding the rape-accused BJP MLA.

On Sunday, the BJP MP Pratap Simha took to social media and criticized the Congress minister for using offensive words against Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath. “If Gundu Rao had used the same words against a Mulla or a Maulvi, his Begum (wife) Tabu would do the same thing (thrash with chappals) to him. If Mr Rao does not know how to control his tongue, we may have to teach him a lesson,” he said.

Taking strong objection for dragging her into the controversy, Tabu posted on Facebook, “I am deeply hurt and aggrieved by the derogatory and objectionable reference to me by the honorable MP of Mysuru, Mr Pratap Simha, in a video clip being circulated on social media and regional television networks (sic).”

“If Mr Simha is anguished by a statement made by my husband Mr Dinesh Gundu Rao in his capacity as the working president of the Congress, the MP is free to join issue with him, but to drag the womenfolk of the household into the controversy smacks of cowardice,” she said.

She added that the words by the BJP MP exposed his communal and narrow mindset. “The MP’s reference to me as ‘Begum Tabu’ only exposes his communal and narrow mindset. It is no secret that I am a Muslim and am married to a Brahmin. We have been happily married for over two decades symbolizing India’s unity in diversity.”

“As the honourable MP hails from Mysuru, I would urge him to follow poet laureate Kuvempu’s Vishwa Manava (Universal Brotherhood) philosophy instead of sowing the seeds of ill will in the society,” she added.

However, he apologized day a after the BJP leaders protested against him and complained to the Election Commission.