Cong makes all out bid to pacify rebels against Deve Gowda to withdraw from contest
Tumkur LS Seat
Bengaluru, Mar 27: With two days left for withdrawal of nominations for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka, Congress leaders are making all attempts to pacify the party's rebel candidates against former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, the ruling alliance's nominee in Tumkur.
Defying the electoral arrangement under which Tumkur was allotted to JD(S), sitting Congress MP S P Muddahanumegowda filed his papers on Monday both as party candidate and also as an independent.
K N Rajanna, another Congress leader and former MLA, has also filed his nomination from Tumkur as an independent candidate, opposing Gowda.
Both leaders are upset against Congress' decision to cede the Tumkur seat to JD(S), despite the party having its sitting MP there.
Pradesh Congress Chief Dinesh Gudu Rao expressed confidence about solving the issue amicably.
"We are confident that it will be fine. I'm talking to him (Muddahanumegowda), I have hundred per cent faith that there won't be any problem," he said.
Responding to a question on Rajanna, he said, "I'm in touch with him and he has said that he will abide by the party's stand and won't take any decision against the Congress party...We will solve it definitely."
Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, who hails from Tumkur, also expressed confidence that Muddahanumegowda would withdraw in the larger interest of defeating the BJP.
"I have spoken to Muddahanumegowda. I have also informed our high command and they will also speak to him.
I'm confident that Muddahanumegowda being a gentleman politician will withdraw in the larger interest to defeat the BJP," he said.
Muddahanumegowda is determined to contest, as he is the only member among 10 sitting Congress MPs from the state who have not got the ticket this time.
JD(S) bagged Tumkur seat after a hard bargain with Congress as the grand old party did not concede Mysore, another seat it had demanded, due to strong resentment from CLP leader Siddaramaiah, as it is his home turf.
Mysore and Tumkur both come under old Mysuru region, where the Vokkaliga community, seen as a strong vote bank of the JD(S), is dominant.
Congress too has considerable presence there.
Speaking to local news channels in Tumkur, Muddahanumegowda said that he will not backtrack and will contest the polls as per the wish of his voters and supporters.
Stating that he has filed his nomination, both as a Congress candidate and an independent, he said, "I did not get the Congress ticket till Tuesday evening (last day to file nomination), but both alliance partners still have a chance to declare me as their candidate."
Speaking to reporters Rajanna said his decision would depend on what Muddahanumegowda agrees to.
Stating that he supports Muddahanumegowda, he said "I will wait for his decision...
There is pressure on me to withdraw, but I have not decided yet...", he said.
Deve Gowda opted for Tumkur seat over Bangalore North, another option that was available before him, after giving up Hassan Lok Sabha seat that he had been representing to his grandson Prajwal Revanna.
If Muddahanumegowda contests from Tumkur as a rebel candidate, it will add to the Congress-JD(S) coalition woes as the alliance is facing a backlash at several places,including Mandya and Hassan, with party workers unhappy with the seat arrangements.
Tumkur will go to the polls in the first phase on April 18
The last date for withdrawal of nominations is March 29.
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Ranchi: Temple guard bludgeoned to death during robbery attempt, 3 held
Ranchi (PTI): A 60-year-old security guard of a temple in Ranchi was bludgeoned to death with a stone during a robbery attempt, police said on Saturday.
The incident happened late on Thursday at the Jagannath Temple in the Dhurwa Smart City area, they said.
"Three persons were arrested on Friday for killing the security guard. They confessed to the crime and told police that the victim had identified them. Therefore, in fear of being caught, they killed him by attacking him with a stone on his head," SSP Rakesh Ranjan said.
"Thereafter, they took money from the donation box and fled the scene. Two of them have criminal antecedents," he added.
Ranjan said the investigators recovered Rs 3 lakh in cash that had been robbed, the stone with blood-stained marks, and the iron rod used to break open the lock of the donation box kept there.
An FIR in this regard was lodged at the Dhurwa police station, he said, adding that the accused were sent to judicial custody by a court.
