Bengaluru: Attacked time and again over shifting loyalty from JD(S) to Congress, former chief Minister Siddaramaiah Saturday clarified that he was expelled from that party by former prime minister and its supremo H D Deve Gowda.

"They (BJP) ask why Siddaramaiah quit JD(S) and joined Congress. I did not quit JD(S).. I was expelled. You must know the truth.. I was expelled from the JD(S) by Mr Deve Gowda for my AHINDA activities. Now you know, I believe," Siddaramaiah told reporters at Kalaburagi.

AHINDA in Kannada stands for minorities, backward castes and Dalits. The senior Congress leader was canvassing for party candidate Subhash Rathod, contesting the bypoll from Chincholi assembly constituency.

The Chincholi seat fell vacant after disgruntled Congress MLA Umesh Jadhav resigned from the assembly to join the Bharatiya Janata Party and contested the Lok Sabha election from Gulbarga where he had a direct fight with Congress stalwart Mallikarjun Kharge.

The BJP gave ticket to Jadhav's son Avinash Jadhav to contest from Chincholi Assembly constituency, where election is due on May 19. While addressing a public meeting two days ago Siddaramaiah flayed Jadhav, saying a "traitor" alone would ditch the party, which is like a mother.

In retaliation, BJP MLA and former deputy chief minister R Ashok had sought to know why Siddaramaiah quit the JD(S) and joined the Congress. To this, Siddaramaiah said Ashok knew nothing as there were lots of dissimilarities between Umesh Jadhav quitting the Congress and joining the BJP and him leaving the JD(S) and joining the grand old party. The comparison was "improper," he added.

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Chennai (PTI): Before giving birth, she had already delivered a mandate—a symbol of hope for Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.

Echoing Delhi’s 2013 “common citizen” political churn associated with the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), an eight-month-pregnant homemaker, M R Pallavi, has been elected as an MLA from Chennai’s Thiru Vi Ka Nagar constituency, emerging as one of the notable first-time faces of the Vijay-led TVK in the recently held Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

In the narrow lanes of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, a steady stream of media personnel has been making their way to Pallavi’s residence—a scene reminiscent of the result day in Delhi when journalists thronged the modest home of Rakhi Birla, who had won from Mangolpuri on an AAP ticket.

Pallavi, 36, a homemaker educated up to class XII, defeated the DMK candidate K S Ravichandran by a margin of 22,333 votes in the reserved Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Assembly constituency.

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats, while DMK and AIADMK got 59 and 47, respectively.

Pallavi’s victory has drawn attention due to her personal circumstances. She campaigned extensively while eight months pregnant, going door-to-door to reach voters.

According to local accounts, she even fainted once during the campaign but continued her outreach.

She has not spoken to the media following her victory, as doctors have advised her to rest. Her husband, Rajesh, briefly recounted her campaign efforts.

A self-professed admirer of actor-turned-politician Vijay, Pallavi joined TVK soon after its formation and is now among its first-time legislators.

Doctors have advised her to be hospitalised around May 20, as she is expecting her second child. Ahead of that, voters in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar have entrusted her with representing them in the state Assembly.

Political observers say the rise of candidates like Pallavi signals a possible shift in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, with voters backing a new party and candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.