BJP releases first list of 57 candidates for Delhi polls
New Delhi, Jan 17: The BJP has banked on experience to take on the ruling AAP in the Delhi assembly polls, scheduled for next month, as it released on Friday its first list of 57 candidates, which included four former mayors, and many councilors.
The names of all three BJP MLAs, including Leader of the Opposition Vijender Gupta, former chief minister Sahib Singh Verma's brother and former mayor Master Azad Singh, as well as former AAP legislator Kapil Mishra figured in the first list.
Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari's candidature has not been announced in the first list of candidates.
Releasing the list, Tiwari said Gupta will contest from Rohini seat, Azad Singh from Mundka and Mishra from Model Town as he expressed confidence that the party will end its more than two decades of stint in opposition and come back to power on its "positive" agenda.
The list does not include nomination against AAP leader and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Tiwari, who was joined by Union minister Prakash Javadekar, party's poll in-charge for Delhi, said the party will soon name its remaining candidates.
The party has fielded Khushi Ram from Ambedkar Nagar, Ravindra Gupta from Matia Mahal and Yogender Chandolia from Karol Bagh, all former mayors. It has also given ticket to its national secretary R P Singh, who will contest from Rajender Nagar.
The list has 11 candidates from scheduled castes for reserved seats, four women nominations and seven from Poorvanchal, a region comprising eastern UP and Bihar.
Most of the candidates announced on Friday were also nominated by the BJP in 2013 and 2015 assembly polls.
The polls to the 70-member Delhi Assembly will be held on February 8 and results will be declared on February 11.
Tiwari said the names were finalised at BJP's central election committee meeting on Thursday night.
The ruling AAP has already announced its candidates for all 70 seats. The Congress is yet to announce names of its candidates.
The BJP's list also included six sitting and thirteen former councilors of the three municipal corporations in the national capital.
Among several AAP leaders, who have joined the BJP, only two former MLAs have been given tickets by the saffron party, with names like Devender Sehrawat and Guggan Singh missing from the list.
BJP sources said three seats --Kalkaji, Hari Nagar and Rajouri Garden-- may be given to its ally Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD). Rajouri Garden seat is currently held by Manjinder Singh Sirsa, an Akali leader who had won on the BJP ticket.
The BJP had won only three seats in the previous assembly elections, while the AAP had won 67.
Delhi is set for another triangular contest between AAP-BJP-Congress.
While Kejriwal is relying on populist schemes like free electricity and water besides free ride for women in the government-run buses and efforts to boost education and health infrastructure, the BJP is hoping to reap the benefits of Modi government's decision to grant ownership rights to people living in unauthorised colonies and planks like the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
The saffron party has also tried to corner the AAP government over violence during anti-CAA protests in the city.
दिल्ली विधानसभा चुनाव-2020 के लिए भाजपा के 57 उम्मीदवार घोषित, सभी को हार्दिक बधाई एवं शुभकामनाएं..#BJPWinningDelhi pic.twitter.com/E0adDaf47s
— BJP Delhi (@BJP4Delhi) January 17, 2020
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
