Kalaburagi (K'taka) (PTI): Veteran BJP leader and party's Parliamentary Board member B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday hinted that sitting party MLAs, barring four to six, are likely to get tickets to contest the Assembly polls by May.

The party's strongman said the BJP would decide on who the next Chief Minister would be at the legislature party meeting after the elections.

"There are more chances that most of the sitting MLAs, other than four or six of them, will be given the tickets," the former Chief Minister said in response to a question whether all the sitting legislators will get the tickets.

Asked whether BJP is planning to get leaders from other parties and induct them into the BJP ahead of polls, he said, "Welcome to anyone who wants to join, and those who want to quit, can go out happily....Many are willing to join the party, we will welcome them."

To a question on who will be the Chief Ministerial candidate of the BJP, Yediyurappa said, it will be decided at the legislature party meeting after the election, and now the polls will be held under the leadership of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

Responding to a question that people may "go away" from the BJP, sensing that a leader like Yediyurappa will no more be its CM face, he said, "there is no such thing, wherever I'm travelling we are getting huge response, people are gathering beyond our expectations, seeing all this it is certain that we will win more than 140 seats and come to power with a clear majority, no one can stop it."

The octogenarian has already announced his retirement from electoral politics, by declaring that he will not be contesting the upcoming Assembly polls.

He also chided Congress stating that its leaders are dreaming about becoming the Chief Minister, which will never happen.

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Jaipur (PTI): A 20-year-old nursing student was found murdered with her throat slit in a rented room in Khairthal-Tijara district of Rajasthan, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place in a residential building in front of Mundawar police station on Friday afternoon, they said.

The accused, Upendra Kumar (21) from Haryana's Mahendergarh, was arrested while trying to flee the spot.

The father of the deceased alleged that his daughter was kidnapped, raped and then killed.

The incident sparked outrage among local residents, who blocked the main road for about 30 minutes before police dispersed them.

Police said the accused lived in the same rented premises.

Mundwar Station House Officer Ramniwas Meena said Upendra Kumar has been arrested based on complaint filed by the deceased woman's father.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully termed the murder proof that women remain highly unsafe in Rajasthan and accused the BJP government of turning a blind eye to such crimes.

"It is being proved that women are extremely unsafe in Rajasthan. A nursing student was abducted, raped and brutally murdered by slitting her throat in Mundawar. People are outraged but the BJP government has shut its eyes and ears to everything," he said.