BJP expels rebels Sharath Bachegowda, Kaviraj Urs as they fail to withdraw from bypoll contest
Bengaluru, Nov 21: Ruling BJP in Karnataka on Thursday expelled from its primary membership rebels Sharath Bachegowda and Kaviraj Urs, contesting the coming assembly bypolls as independent candidates, for anti-party activity.
In separate letters to both Sharath Bachegowda fighting from Hoskote assembly constituency and Urs from Vijayanagara, BJP said, their contest against the party's official candidate was being considered as anti-party activity.
BJP on Wednesday had asked the party rebels to withdraw their candidature by Thursday, the last day for the process.
As the two did not withdraw their candidature, the sent the letters, a copy of which has been released to the media.
After the BJP gave the Hoskote ticket to disqualified Congress legislator M T B Nagaraj, Sharath Bachegowda has jumped into the fray as an independent.
JD(S) has decided to support him and has not fielded a candidate.
Son of BJP MP from Chikkaballapura B N Bachegowda, he had remained adamant on contesting with repeated attempts by the party leadership to persuade him to back out in vain.
Sharath Bachegowda, who was also secretary of BJP Yuva Morcha, had earlier been appointed Chairman of Karnataka Housing Board by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa in an attempt to "pacify" him.
Yediyurappa had recently indicated the party has even decided to expel him, if he doesn't withdraw from the contest.
Nagaraj as Congress candidate had defeated Sharath Bachegowda in 2018 assembly polls by over 7,000 votes.
Urs has filed his nomination as independent candidate from Vijayanagara, rebelling against the BJPs decision to field Anand Singh, another disqualified MLA.
The party's decision to expel Urs comes after repeated attempts to "pacify" him.
With winning at least six seats crucial for the government's survival, BJP has fielded 13 of the 16 disqualified legislators, who joined the party, as its candidates from their respective constituencies in the bypolls.
Among the 15 constituencies going to bypolls, 12 were held by Congress and three by JD(S), whose coalition government collapsed due to rebellion by the disqualified MLAs.
The Congress and JDS, contesting the bypolls on their own, have vowed to defeat the defectors (the disqualified MLAs) and said people would teach them a lesson.
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4 held for sexually assaulting woman, girl on moving bus after social media alert in UP's Agra
Agra (UP) (PTI): Four people were arrested, after a prompt response by police following a social media alert, for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and a girl inside a moving bus here, officials said on Tuesday.
According to an official police statement, at 12:27 am on April 27, information was received on the social media platform X about an incident of sexual assault on a bus travelling from Kanpur to Ahmedabad, which was approaching Namner crossing in Agra.
Acting under the direction of Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar, the Agra Police social media team immediately alerted the Rakabganj police station within minutes and coordinated with the victims to confirm the incident and obtain the exact location, it stated.
Police teams launched intensive checking at Namner crossing and intercepted the bus as it reached the spot. The four accused involved in the incident were apprehended on the spot, and legal action was initiated against them, the statement said.
The police said the swift response and coordination between the social media team and field units ensured timely action, bringing relief to the victims and other passengers, who expressed gratitude towards the police, it added.
