Campaign ends for 2nd phase polling in Karnataka
Bengaluru, Apr 21: The vitriol-filled campaign for 14 Lok Sabha seats that will go to the polls during the second phase in Karnataka on April 23, ended Sunday, with top leaders of the BJP and Congress-JD(S) alliance making a last-gasp effort to sway the voters in their favour.
Though the campaign for second phase that covers northern districts was not as fierce compared to the first phase encompassing southern districts, the nationalism debate, corruption allegations, personal attacks, dynasty politics, Lingayat issue- the electoral potboiler had it all.
The campaign for the second phase also gained momentum only after electioneering ended for the first phase, where polling was held on April 18.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi helmed the BJP's adrenaline-charged campaign in the state, the party's national President Amit Shah, several Union Ministers,including Nirmala Sitaraman, Smriti Irani and also state leaders, including B S Yeddyurappa are among those who campaigned extensively.
For the Congress-JD(S) combine, it was Congress President Rahul Gandhi, JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and coalition coordination committee chief Siddaramaiah who led the charge, backed also by Andhra Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.
Though local developmental issues were major part of the campaign, with most part of northern districts, especially Hyderabad-Karnataka region still being backward, concerns like the "turbulent" Congress-JD(S) government grappling with dissidence and Lingayat religion made headlines, with Modi himself spearheading the attack.
Modi during his recent rallies hit out at the coalition government in the state, calling it "majboor" (helpless) and also accused the Congress of trying to split communities for political gains, pointing at the demand to accord religious minority status to the dominant Lingayat community.
While the state BJP, including its chief B S Yeddyurappa too accused the Congress leadership of hatching a "divisive" conspiracy for political gains, adding to this was the public spat between two senior Ministers from the grand old party, D K Shivakumar and M B Patil, over the Lingayat issue.
Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga leader, during a recent election rally had apologized for Congress venturing into the religious issue, which had irked M B Patil, who was at the forefront of the movement demanding religious minority status to the Lingayat community.
The then Congress government's decision to recommend the status to Lingayat community is said to be one of the reasons for the partys debacle in the May 2018 assembly polls.
The BJP also raked up the Lingayat issue to further consolidate the community votes that is dominant in northern districts and is considered as the strong base of the saffron party.
In the second phase, among the prominent contestants are Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge from Gulbarga, Union Ministers Ananth Kumar Hegde from Uttara Kannada and Ramesh Jigajinagi from Bijapur, Yeddyurappa's son B Y Raghavendra and former Chief Minister S Bangarappa's son Madhu Bangarappa of JD(S) from Shimogga, among others.
Key constituencies to be watched out for during the polls include Gulbarga, where Kharge is pitted against Umesh Jadhav, who ahead of polls joined the BJP quitting Congress and as MLA; Shimogga, where former chief Minister Yeddyurappa's son B Y Raghavendra is pitted against another former chief minister S Bangarappa's son Madhu Bangarappa.
The spotlight is also on Belgaum, where Congress is facing dissidence, with rebel MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi not campaigning for the party candidate and skipping Rahul Gandhi's event of Friday.
In 14 constituencies that will go to the polls in the second phase on April 23, BJP is contesting all the seats.
Congress and JD(S) that are facing the polls in alliance have fielded their candidates in 12 and two constituencies respectively.
While the Congress currently has its hold on only four out of 14 seats that will go to the polls in the second phase- Chikkodi, Gulbarga, Bellary, Raichur; BJP has its sitting MPs in 10 seats.
A total of 237 candidates are in the field in the second phase.
Belgaum with 57 has the maximum number of candidates, while Raichur with five has the lowest in the second phase, as well as in both phases on the whole.
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4 children test HIV positive in MP govt hospital; contaminated blood transfusion suspected
Satna/Bhopal (PTI): Four children suffering from thalassemia have tested HIV positive at Satna District Hospital in Madhya Pradesh allegedly due to contaminated blood transfusions, officials said on Tuesday.
The case is four months old and an investigation is underway into it, an official said.
Officials suspect the use of contaminated needles or blood transfusions for the spread of infection to the children.
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MP Health Minister Rajendra Shukla told reporters in Bhopal that he has ordered a probe into the matter and sought a report.
“It is also being investigated whether the blood transfusion took place in other hospitals also or only in the government hospital,” he said.
The affected children, aged between 12 and 15 years, received blood transfusions from the hospital's blood bank, as per an official.
Devendra Patel, in-charge of the blood bank at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel District Hospital in Satna, said four children have tested HIV positive and an investigation is underway to determine how they got infected.
"Either an infected needle was used or a blood transfusion occurred. These are the two main reasons I believe. Blood transfusion seems to be the most likely cause," he told PTI Videos.
All these children suffer from thalassemia, and some have received 80 or 100 blood transfusions, he said.
A family member of one of the affected children said that their child was found to be HIV positive during a routine checkup about four months back, and he has been receiving medication, but it had proven to be of no use.
After taking the medication for HIV, the child starts vomiting, feels low and becomes ill, he said.
After the four children were detected with HIV infection, their family members were also tested and the results came out negative, he added.
The Opposition Congress targeted the government over the matter and demanded the resignation of Health Minister Shukla.
Speaking to reporters in Bhopal, Congress MLA and former minister Sachin Yadav claimed such incidents were continuously occurring in Madhya Pradesh.
Earlier, a case of toxic cough syrup came to light in Chhindwara, followed by incidents of rat bites at hospitals in Indore and Satna, and now children have been given HIV-infected blood, he said.
"The health minister is unable to manage the department. He should resign. A murder case should be filed against those responsible for the Satna incident," Yadav said.
Senior Congress leader Sajjan Singh Verma termed it a failure of the government. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav's government has no connection with ground realities, he charged.
"Somewhere rats are roaming in hospitals, somewhere children are being given HIV-infected blood. Instead of preventing HIV, you are spreading it. Mohan Yadav should wake up from his slumber. Children are the nation's heritage and should be taken care of," he added.
