Keenly contested Karnataka assembly bypolls counting tomorrow
Bengaluru: Stakes are high for the ruling BJP and opposition Congress and JDS in Karnataka as the outcome in the byelections to two assembly constituencies that witnessed weeks of spirited campaigning would be known on Tuesday.
Though the results will have no bearing on the stability of the B S Yediyurappa government, yet it would be seen in many quarters as a reflection on its performance, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Votes polled in the November 3 bypolls to Sira in Tumakuru district and Rajarajeshwari Nagar (R R Nagar) would be taken up for counting on Tuesday at 8 AM and the results are expected to be by afternoon.
While the Congress and JD(S) are keen to strike after facing a rout in December 2019 bypolls, the BJP would be aiming to keep its winning streak intact.
In the polls held amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Sira and R R Nagar recorded voter turnout of 82.31 percent and 45.24 percent respectively.
The bypoll has been necessitated in Sira following the death of JD(S) MLA B Sathyanarayana in August, while R R Nagar seat here fell vacant due to disqualification of the then Congress MLA N Munirathna last year under the anti-defection law.
BJP that had never won the Sira seat fielded radiologist Dr. C M Rajesh Gowda, son of former Congress MP C P Mudalagiriyappa, who had recently joined the party, while the Congress and JD(S), considered traditional rivals in the region, nominated former Minister T B Jayachandra and Ammajamma respectively
Ammajamma is the wife of late JD(S) MLA Sathyanarayana.
In R R Nagar, the Congress has fielded a fresh face -- Kusuma H, wife of late IAS officer D K Ravi.
She was pitted against V Krishnamurthy of JD(S) and N Munirathna of the BJP. He had joined the party last year.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the counting. Also prohibitory and liquor ban orders are in place from 6 am to 12 midnight in the constituencies.
Some exit polls have indicated that BJP will sweep RR Nagar and Sira bypolls, but the opposition parties have rejected the predictions.
Leader of the opposition in the state assembly Siddaramaiah of the Congress alleged the ruling party campaigned by distributing money but his party had gone to the people and hence was confident of winning both the seats.
Chief Minister Yediyurappa has asserted that BJP would win both the seat with margins in excess of 20,000 votes.
He has already indicated that the much-awaited expansion of his cabinet will take place at the earliest and he will talk to party high command in this regard, soon after the assembly bypoll results.
With cabinet expansion on cards, lobbying has intensified and some aspirants like MLCs A H Vishwanth and R Shankar reportedly even reached New Delhi to meet the high command.
The cabinet expansion or reshuffle is expected to be a tightrope walk for Yediyurappa, considering that there are too many aspirants and there are seven berths vacant with a current strength of 27.
Stakes are high for 77-year old Yediyurappa amid intense speculation that BJP high command is mulling leadership change considering his age.
For Congress and JDS, too, the bypolls are crucial as they are keen on retaining the RR and the Sira seats which they had won respectively in the 2018 assembly polls, and will be focusing on gaining an additional seat.
It is also equally significant for state Congress President D K Shivakumar and JDS leader and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy to assert their command over the Vokkaliga vote bank in the old Mysuru region.
Vokkaligas have a considerable presence in both the seats.
Within the Congress too, winning both seats will be important for Shivakumar in consolidating his position, as this is the first election under his presidency.
RR Nagar is more crucial for him with personal stakes involved as it comes under the Bangalore Rural Parliamentary constituency, represented by his brother D K Suresh.
After the bypolls, the 225-member assembly would still have two vacancies.
Currently, the BJP has 116 members, Congress 67, JDS 33, BSP one, nominated one, and two independents besides the Speaker.
Counting of votes will also be taken up on Tuesday in the Legislative Council biennial elections to four seats, for which voting took place on October 28.
BJP will have to win at least two of the four constituencies to emerge as the single largest party in the Council, the position currently held by Congress.
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Anbumani asks PM Modi to ban sale of cigarettes for those born after 2009
Chennai (PTI): PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take legislative measures to prohibit smoking and the sale of cigarettes to individuals born on or after January 1, 2009, thereby creating a smoke-free generation.
Anbumani, former Union minister for health and family welfare, said, "Once implemented, it (ban on cigarettes) will ensure that future generations are legally prevented from ever accessing tobacco products", he said in a letter to Modi.
"I write to you with a deep sense of urgency and responsibility, drawing your kind attention to a critical public health issue that continues to endanger the lives of millions of Indians, particularly among the younger generation who are affected by cigarette smoking", he claimed.
Stating that India unfortunately bears a disproportionately high burden of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality, he said, adding that, according to global health estimates, nearly 267 million Indians, approximately one in five citizens, use tobacco.
"Each year, tobacco consumption directly accounts for over 1.35 million deaths, while exposure to second-hand smoke contributes to a total of approximately 2.3 million deaths annually", he said, adding, "these figures are alarming and reflect a public health crisis of immense magnitude".
He pointed out that Scientific evidence unequivocally establishes tobacco use as a leading cause of cancer and numerous non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular ailments, chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD, and multiple forms of malignancies. "In India alone, tobacco is responsible for nearly 40–50 per cent of all cancer cases, with over 4.7 lakh deaths annually attributed to tobacco-induced cancers", he added.
"In this context, I strongly urge the Union government to consider enacting a transformative law similar to that of the United Kingdom, that permanently prohibits the sale and consumption of tobacco products for individuals born on or after a specified year (such as 2009). Such a generational ban would mark a decisive step towards eliminating tobacco use in India over time", he said.
