Mandya Lok Sabha seat: JDS postpones Nikhil's nomination date
Bengaluru, Mar 21: The Janata Dal (Secular) on Thursday postponed the filing of nomination by Nikhil Gowda from Mandya Lok Sabha seat to next Monday.
Nikhil Gowda is the son of Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and grandson of JDS supremo and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, who is launching the third generation of his clan from party citadel Mandya.
"We did plan the filing of nomination by Nikhil today (Thursday), but after much deliberation, we postponed it to March 25," JDS MLC T A Sharavana said.
Sharavana said the reason behind postponing the nomination date was that March 25 falls on Monday, which happens to be the day of Lord Shiva, the family deity of the Gowda family.
"We have planned the event in a grand manner, which people of Mandya had never seen before," the JDS leader added.
JDS insiders told PTI that the mighty show of strength by multilingual film actress Sumalatha while filing her nomination papers on Wednesday made the party leadership postpone Nikhil Gowda's nomination and plan a grand event.
Sumalatha, widow of popular Kannada film actor and former Congress MP from Mandya, Ambareesh, has decided to contest the election as an Independent after being denied a ticket. She accused the Congress of not recognising the work done by Ambareesh for the party.
Deve Gowda was supposed to visit Mandya on Thursday, but it was cancelled at the last minute, said party spokesperson Ramesh Babu, without citing any reason.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party's probable candidate for Mandya -- Dr Siddaramaiah, who had lost the Mandya Lok Sabha bypoll last November -- has started campaigning, though the saffron party has not released the list of candidates.
The BJP said it would put up its candidate as it is apprehensive that Sumalatha might withdraw her nomination at the last minute.
In the assembly election last May, the JDS had won from all the eight assembly segments under Mandya, besides winning the Mandya by-election.
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2 detained after comment over wedding procession to Dalit house sparks clash in UP's Shahjahanpur
Shahjahanpur (UP) (PTI): Two persons have been detained after a clash broke out allegedly over remarks targeting a Dalit family's wedding procession in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur district, police said on Saturday.
The incident occurred in Lai Kheda village under Tilhar police station area, where a wedding procession from Bareilly had arrived at a Dalit household on April 20.
According to SP Saurabh Dixit, when the procession was near the house of Rajpal Yadav, he allegedly made a remark saying "Now, Dalits will also take out wedding processions riding a buggy", leading to an argument. Yadav's side allegedly turned aggressive, escalating the conflict further.
Police said a scuffle ensued between the two sides. Upon receiving information, police personnel reached the spot and ensured that the procession was conducted peacefully after the incident.
An FIR was registered on Friday against Rajpal Yadav, Sumit, Amit, Surendra, Avdhesh Yadav and five unidentified persons based on a complaint. Rajpal Yadav and his son Sumit have been taken into custody and are being questioned, Dixit said.
The case has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, police said.
Dixit said preliminary findings suggest that Yadav, too, was hosting a function and processions from both sides had arrived around the same time. A dispute may have initially arisen due to a narrow passage and attempts to move the processions quickly.
Police have registered the case under relevant sections of the BNS and initiated further probe, officials said.
