BJP to field candidates in all 28 LS seats in Karnataka: KS Eshwarappa
Bengaluru, Mar 20: The Bharatiya Janata Party will field its candidates in all 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka, senior BJP leader and MLA K S Eshwarappa said Wednesday.
The former deputy chief minister also said the list of candidates has been almost finalised and could be released Wednesday night.
"Our list of candidates is almost final...In all likelihood our national president would release it tonight. We are contesting in all the 28 Lok Sabha seats.We are getting more than expected overwhelming support," Eshwarappa told reporters.
He was also asked about the Mandya parliamentary seat from where actor Sumalatha, the widow of popular Kannada film actor and former Mandya MP, is in the fray.
There are 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, including Mandya, the Shivamogga MLA said.
Earlier when Sumalatha announced her decision to contest from the constituency as an Independent, BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa had said the party would take a call on Mandya.
Sumalatha filed her nomination from Mandya Wednesday.
Replying to a query that fielding a candidate in Mandya would mean there is no support for Sumalatha, Eshwarappa said, "I am telling you specifically that there is no dilemma."
"When I said that we are fielding a candidate in Mandya, what should it mean? We will not back stab our candidate by supporting any other person," he said.
The decision to field candidates in all the 28 seats was taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah after consulting the party state president, Eshwarappa said.
The BJP will make all efforts to win all the seats in the state, he added.
Sources in BJP told that the party decided to field a candidate in Mandya as a precautionary measure.
"What if Sumalatha suddenly withdraws her nomination succumbing to some pressure. Earlier also, we had a similar experience. This is the reason that we have decided to field our candidate," a senior BJP functionary said.
Karnataka will go to the polls in two phases, 14 constituencies each, on April 18 and 23.
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UP: Petrol pump manager booked for denying fuel to ambulance; causing man's death
Ballia (UP) (PTI): Police on Saturday registered a case against a petrol pump manager in connection with the death of a 50-year-old man who allegedly could not be taken to hospital in time after a private ambulance was denied fuel.
The case has been filed against Ashok Kumar Bharti, manager of M/s Bhushan Service Station in Tengrahi village, under sections of the Essential Commodities Act, officials said.
According to police, the FIR was lodged following a complaint by Supply Inspector Indresh Kumar Tiwari. During the inquiry, the manager admitted that an ambulance had arrived at the petrol pump around 9.20 pm on April 22 seeking fuel, stating that it had run out of petrol. However, fuel was not provided, citing non-availability, officials said.
The ambulance allegedly remained stationed at the pump for about 15 minutes. However, records showed that the petrol pump had sufficient stock on that day, including 4,595 litres of motor spirit, 4,784 litres of high-speed diesel and 3,475 litres of premium petrol, indicating that fuel was available but not supplied, the FIR said.
District Magistrate Mangla Prasad Singh said an inquiry was conducted under the supervision of the Additional District Magistrate by a team comprising the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Bairia and the District Supply Officer. Based on the findings, directions were issued to register a case.
Circle Officer (Bairia) Mohammad Fahim Qureshi said police have launched a probe and are searching for the accused manager.
Earlier, District Supply Officer Devmani Mishra had said that Chhatthu Sharma (50), a resident of Pandeypur village in Bairia tehsil, fell critically ill on the night of April 22. His family was taking him to the district hospital in a private ambulance when it ran out of fuel on the way.
The family approached a petrol pump near Tengrahi village for fuel, but the operator allegedly refused, citing a shortage. The family claimed that Sharma died on the way as he could not be taken to the hospital in time due to a lack of petrol.
The district magistrate said that CCTV footage confirmed that the ambulance had reached the petrol pump and sought fuel, which was not provided. He added that the pump operator cited low stock, but inspection revealed sufficient stock of petrol and diesel at the outlet.
Officials said that representatives of Indian Oil have also visited the site, and further action against the petrol pump will be recommended based on the findings.
