Another PDP leader quits party in J-K
Banihal (J-K), Dec 24: The PDP Monday suffered another setback when its senior leader and former bureaucrat Bashir Ahmad Runyal announced his decision to quit the party.
Runyal, a former IAS officer who was Ramban district president and state secretary of the PDP, had joined the party prior to the 2014 assembly polls after his retirement and had unsuccessfully contested the elections from Banihal constituency.
"I have tendered my resignation from the basic membership of the party and I am fighting the upcoming assembly elections as an independent candidate," he told reporters here.
Runyal was accompanied by BJP leader Showkat Javaid Daing who also announced his resignation from the basic membership of the saffron party.
"We have decided to join hands in the larger interest of the development of our area which was ignored by the previous PDP-BJP government," he said.
Daing had also unsuccessfully contested the last assembly elections on BJP ticket from Banihal constituency which was won by Congress candidate Vikar Rasool Wani.
The BJP candidate had got over 10,000 votes. Runyal said personally he had nothing against the party leadership, but his decision to leave the PDP was under pressure from workers and the public who felt let down by the previous government.
After the fall of the Mehbooba Mufti-led coalition government in June, the PDP faced a revolt within the party which led many of its leaders, including former ministers and legislators, quitting the party.
Prominent among those who left the party included former ministers Haseeb Drabu, Imran Reza Ansari and Syed Basharat Bukhari and former MLAs Abid Hussain Ansari and Mohammad Abbass Wani.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
KKR defeat LSG via Super Over
Lucknow (PTI): Kolkata Knight Riders edged Lucknow Super Giants via Super Overs in a battle between two bottom-placed teams in the IPL, here on Sunday.
Chasing a modest 156, LSG suffered a batting collapse and managed to tie the contest and take it to Super Over with No. 9 Mohammed Shami striking a last-ball six against a wayward Kartik Tyagi, who leaked 16 runs in the final over.
But Sunil Narine bowled a stunning Super Over conceding just one run and taking two wickets to give KKR an easy target.
Rinku Singh then finished the chase with a boundary off first ball from Prince Yadav.
Earlier the KKR were in deep trouble with 93/7 in 15 overs but Rinku smashed a sensational 83 not out from 51 balls including four sixes in a row in the final over to lift them to 155/7.
Cameron Green (34) was the only other batter to reach double-digit scores as KKR suffered a familiar batting meltdown with Mohsin taking his maiden fifer.
In reply, LSG continued their dismal show with the bat to succumb to their fifth loss in a row.
Brief Scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 155/7; 20 overs (Rinku Singh 83 not out, Cameron Green 34; Mohsin Khan 5/23). Lucknow Super Giants 155/8; 20 overs (Rishabh Pant 42). KKR won via Super Over.
