Kerala CM leads 'Satyagraha' protest against Centre
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday led a 'Satyagraha' protest here against the BJP-led union government, accusing it of "political vengeance" and "bias" in denying the state its rightful financial allocations.
The day-long protest, which commenced at the Martyrs' Memorial in Palayam in the heart of the city in the morning, saw the participation of cabinet ministers, ruling MLAs, senior leaders and other people's representatives.
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During his inaugural address, Vijayan charged the Centre with "deliberately creating obstacles" to stall the state's progress it has achieved in various sectors all these years.
"The Centre is trying to snatch away the constitutionally guaranteed rights of Kerala, which should not happen in a democratic country," he said.
He said the LDF government was forced to launch such a protest to protect the rights of its people in such an unprecedented situation.
He urged everyone to stand united to ensure that Kerala received its due share.
Vijayan also took aim at the opposition Congress-led UDF, accusing them of indirectly supporting the BJP and the saffron party-led union government in the matter.
The satyagraha is scheduled to be concluded in the evening.
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K'taka bypolls: Bagalkot records 43.75 per cent turnout till 1 pm, 37.17 pc in Davanagere South
Bengaluru (PTI): At least 43.75 per cent of voters in Karnataka's Bagalkot, where polling for a by-election is underway, exercised their franchise by 1 pm on Thursday.
Davanagere South recorded a turnout of 37.17 per cent, the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office said.
The bypolls were necessitated due to the demise of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti (Bagalkot) and Shamanur Shivashankarappa (Davanagere South).
While the ruling Congress faces the challenge of retaining both seats, the BJP is aiming to wrest them and deliver a setback to its rival, which is currently witnessing an "internal power struggle" over leadership.
A total of over 2.59 lakh eligible voters are expected to cast their votes at around 319 polling stations in Bagalkot, where nine candidates are in the fray.
In Davanagere South, over 2.31 lakh eligible voters are expected to vote across 284 polling stations, with 25 candidates contesting.
The BJP has fielded former MLA and 2023 defeated candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath from Bagalkot, and a fresh face, Srinivas T Dasakariyappa, from Davanagere South.
The Congress has given tickets to family members of the late legislators in both constituencies. Bagalkot candidate Umesh Meti is the son of H Y Meti, while Samarth Mallikarjun from Davanagere South is the grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
Samarth's father, S S Mallikarjun, is a minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet and in charge of Davanagere district, while his mother, Prabha Mallikarjun, is a Member of Parliament from the region.
The BJP is looking to make gains in the bypolls and energise its cadre ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections. For the Congress, retaining both seats is crucial, as a loss could be seen as a negative verdict on the performance of the Siddaramaiah-led government.
In the 2023 Assembly elections, H Y Meti defeated BJP's Charantimath by a margin of 5,878 votes in Bagalkot, while Shivashankarappa defeated BJP's B G Ajay Kumar by 27,888 votes in Davanagere South.
