Half a dozen MLAs from RJD, Cong to join BJP soon: State party chief
Patna (PTI): Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal on Friday claimed the party was set to receive a boost ahead of the assembly polls, as “half a dozen MLAs of the RJD-Congress combine” will jump ship in the next few days.
He made the claim at a press conference where he welcomed back into the party Ajay Nishad, a two-time MP from Muzaffarpur, who had contested the seat in the last Lok Sabha polls on a Congress ticket, after the BJP fielded Raj Bhushan Chaudhary, now a Union minister.
“With Nishad’s return to the BJP, our party will be strengthened further in the Tirhut region,” Jaiswal said.
Nishad is the son of former Union minister, late Capt Jayanarayan Nishad, who had been with the RJD and the JD(U), led by arch rivals Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar, respectively.
“In the next few days, about half a dozen MLAs of the Congress and RJD will be joining the party, in a clear indication of the growing trust in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar,” Jaiswal asserted.
The state BJP president, however, did not divulge whom he expected to jump ship.
The Bihar assembly polls will be held in two phases on November 6 and November 11, while counting of votes will take place on November 14.
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Veteran Congress leader Shamanuru Shivashankarappa laid to rest with full state honours
Bengaluru (PTI): Veteran Congress leader Shamanuru Shivashankarappa was laid to rest with full state honours on Monday.
The 94-year-old former minister, who passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru on Sunday, was cremated at the Kalleshwara Mill premises, following Veerashaiva-Lingayat traditions.
Earlier in the day, Shivashankarappa's mortal remains were brought to his native Davanagere, where they were kept at the high school grounds for the public, his followers, and well-wishers to pay their last respects.
ALSO READ: Karnataka Speaker U T Khader condoles death of Shamanur Shivashankarappa
Expressing deep sorrow over his demise, the Karnataka government ordered that his last rites be performed with full state honours.
Both the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Council also mourned his passing, adjourning their sessions for the day after paying tributes.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, several ministers, opposition leaders, legislators, and political figures paid their respects.
A number of seers from the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community also attended the last rites.
Shivashankarappa represented the Davanagere South Assembly constituency. He had been undergoing treatment at the hospital for some time before succumbing to age-related ailments.
The senior-most legislator in Karnataka, Shivashankarappa, was also one of the longest-serving lawmakers in the country, sources said.
He is survived by three sons, including S S Mallikarjun, the Karnataka Minister for Mines, Geology, and Horticulture, and four daughters. His daughter-in-law, Prabha Mallikarjun, is the Member of Parliament from Davanagere.
A six-time MLA, Shivashankarappa also served as a minister and an MP.
He was a prominent educationist, establishing several educational institutions, and was an industrialist.
Additionally, he served as the treasurer of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) for decades and was the president of the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, the apex body of the influential Veerashaiva-Lingayat community.
