Coalition that won in seat sharing
One of the major achievements of coalition government in the state is to have successful and uncomplicated closure of seat sharing deal. CM Kumaraswamy kept repeating that they are not beggars by that way warning the coalition partner Congress of their requirement of seats. If there was a difference of opinion in seat sharing it would have had its impact not only on the lok Sabha elections but also on the government that is running the state.
Even the BJP was waiting for this opportunity. But Congress set aside its pride, provision and reached an understanding with the JDS in seat sharing. This proves the fact that Congress has learnt its lessons from its past failures. BJP is very disappointed by the fact that Congress did not throw tantrums to let go of Tumkur Mandya Chikmagalur and Udupi constituencies to JDS. Coalition partners have managed the first step towards a successful election very amicably. This understanding between Congress and JDS is bound to have a very positive impact on the Lok Sabha elections.
Actor Ambarish's wife is a big challenge for the grandson of HD Deve Gowda in Mandya. Many major leaders within JDS are not very happy with the fact that Gowda's grandson Nikhil has been chosen over other deserving candidates to represent Mandya. This is an unfathomable development for the party members. At the same time there is a huge demand from Congress workers who feel Congress loyalist late Ambarish's wife Sumalatha should be supported by the party to contest the Lok Sabha elections.
However since Mandya has been ceded to JDS, Congress cannot support Sumalatha. Hence now it has become inevitable for Sumalatha to fight the election from BJP. If she joins BJP she will lose the conventional Congress vote bank. Congress workers will never be able to identify with Sumalatha if she joins BJP. Hence Sumalatha has exhibited a very smart and strategic move by almost deciding to contest as an independent candidate.
If she stands as an independent candidate BJP has a plan to not field any candidate against Sumalatha and support her candidature. Sumalatha is already dreaming of a victory that would be caused by dividing the Congress words and gaining the support of BJP and their votes. But Ambarish had lost his political charm during his last days since he had failed to fulfill the desires and expectations of the people who had elected him to his seat. However if the caste politics that is so deeply engraved in the Mandya psyche continues, victory may be a difficult proposition for Sumalatha and Nikhil may sweep the polls. Letting go of Udupi and Chikmagalur seat to JDS by the Congress has taken many by surprise.
JDS has not had any root level worker base in Chikmagalur or Udupi. Comparatively Chikmagalur is a little better than Udupi as far as JDS is concerned. Many Congress leaders who wanted to contest from Udupi are very disappointed. Inclined towards soft hindutva, leaders like Vinay Kumar Sorake and Pramod Madhwaraj cannot be very committed to campaign for JDS candidate in Udupi. With half their mind in BJP, one cannot totally trust them to work for Congress; instead they might work to benefit the BJP.
Under such circumstances JDS has to choose its candidate to represent this constituency. Right now Y S V Datta's name is being floated for this space. And to reach voters surfacing the aggressive hindutva agenda that has already been spread over by the BJP is not an easy task for Datta. Compared to immature and disrespectful candidate like Shobha Karandlaje, Datta is a better candidate anyday. This time there is dissidents against Shobha's candidature within the BJP itself, so this may work for the benefit of JDS. Mangaluru Lok Sabha constituency has raked a lot of interest. BJP has been winning this seat from last three decades.
Janardhan Poojary has set a record of sorts by continuously losing this seat. Politically Poojary has retired from the field. For the first time Congress has chosen to find some other candidate to this seat apart from Poojary. Billava community plays a constructive role in electoral victories in coastal Karnataka. Hundreds of young Billava men have been jailed under various charges fighting for political ends in coastal Karnataka. BJP has been successful in ensuring there are no Billava leaders that come out of the Billava community that supports the party. Congress ensured Poojary grew into a national level leader, while BJP pushed him to the corner.
Billawas today are just a force to reckon by in electoral politics without having a single leader to represent them at any level. Looks like Congress will consider Billava candidates to represent the party in Lok Sabha elections. Vinay Kumar Sorake is an ideal candidate, his soft hindutva stance and the anger of Muslims against him have made him and undesirable candidate for the elections. He has ceased to be relevant to coastal Karnataka. Another leader who can able to represent Billava community is BK Hariprasad and his name is in much circulation.
Congress does not seem to have any choice in the given situation and it is becoming more and more obvious. Politically immature and inactive politician Nalin Kumar Kateel of BJP has become irrelevant already. His victory is dependent on just two factors that is Modi and Hindutva. This apart, handing over Tumkur to JDS has enraged Congress workers in at area. Just being coalition partners does not ensure victory for mutual convenient candidates. Only when both party base and workers try to win elections. Coalition becomes meaningful when leaders of both parties understand this.
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Assam to lift all cases against Koch Rajbongshis in Foreigners' Tribunals: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Guwahati, Apr 4 (PTI): The Assam cabinet has decided to lift all cases pending against people from the Koch Rajbongshi community in the Foreigners' Tribunals, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.
They will also no longer carry the tag of 'D' or doubtful voters, he said.
''There are 28,000 cases pending in different Foreigners' Tribunals in the state against people of the community. The cabinet has taken a historic decision of lifting the cases with immediate effect,'' Sarma said at a press conference here after the cabinet meeting.
The government believes that the Koch Rajbongshis are an indigenous community of the state and they are an inextricable part of ''our social and cultural fabric'', he asserted.
The people of this community are poor and have suffered a lot over the years, he said.
''They will no longer carry the tag of foreigners or ‘D’ voters,'' the CM said.
Foreigners Tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies, particularly in Assam, established to determine if a person residing in India is a "foreigner" as defined by the Foreigners Act of 1946, based on the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964.
These tribunals are designed to address matters related to citizenship and the presence of “foreigners” in India, specifically focusing on cases where someone is suspected of being an illegal immigrant.
There are 100 Foreigners’ Tribunals across Assam.
The Koch Rajbongshis have a sizeable presence in Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and parts of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, and they demand Scheduled Tribe status.
