JDS will field candidates in all 15 Assembly segments for bypolls: Deve Gowda
Bengaluru: JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda on Wednesday said his party would field candidates in all the 15 constituencies for the December 5 bypolls, following the Supreme Court's decision on the status of disqualified Congress-JD(S) legislators.
The former Prime Minister also made it clear that there was no question of taking back three disqualified JD(S) legislators back into the party fold.
"The disqualified legislators case is likely to come up for hearing in the Supreme Court on October 22. Let's see what will be the outcome from the court.
If the court upholds the decision of the then Speaker (to disqualify MLAs) elections will happen. If not, the bypolls may not happen as per schedule," Gowda said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said his son and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had already spoken about the party's decision to field candidates in all the 15 segments, and there were no differences within the party on this matter.
"There is a feeling among some people that JD(S) may only field its candidates in the old Mysuru region, where the party was strong...winning or loosing is another issue all together.
We are fielding candidates in all 15 constituencies going for the polls," Gowda said, hinting that this would form the "groundwork" for JD(S) to contest local body polls from across the State.
Congress and JD(S), that contested the Lok Sabha polls in alliance and had run a coalition government in the state, have decided to go separate ways in the bypolls.
The bypolls to 15 of the 17 seats represented by disqualified MLAs, which the Election Commission had earlier decided to defer until the apex Court decides on their plea challenging disqualification, has now been scheduled for December five.
Among the 15 constituencies going for the polls, 12 were represented by Congress and three by JD(S).
The absence and resignation of the 17 Congress-JD(S) MLAs during the trust vote had led to the collapse of the Kumaraswamy headed coalition government in July, and helped BJP to come to power.
After examining the petition moved by leadership of both parties, the then assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar had disqualified the 17 Congress and JD(S) MLAs under the anti defection law,which they have challenged in the Supreme Court.
The then Speaker had ruled that those disqualified cease to be MLAs with immediate effect till the expiry of the 15th assembly (in 2023).
In response to a question, Gowda also made it clear that there was no question of taking back three party disqualified MLAs- A H Vishwanath (Hunsur), K Gopalaiah (Mahalakshmi Layout) and Narayana Gowda (K R Pet).
"Three of them were there from our party.I'm not going to take them back...I will not entertain them and we are going to contest all the seats," he added.
Playing down reports of an informal meeting of JD(S) MLCs, where they reportedly vented their ire at being "completely neglected" by the leadership, Gowda said he has called a meeting of party legislators (MLAs and MLCs), also former MLAs
and defeated candidates on October 18 to discuss legislative council polls for graduates and teachers constituency.
"I have not neglected anyone...I have called a meeting the day after tomorrow. They will hold the meeting and decide...you can see," he added.
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Commercial LPG hike: Delhi restaurant owners warn of higher menu rates, job losses
New Delhi (PTI) A day after a 50 per cent rise in commercial LPG cylinder prices, Delhi's food business, with restaurant owners and street vendors have warned of higher menu rates, financial strain and potential job losses if the trend persists.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by a steep Rs 993 per 19 kg cylinder, marking the third consecutive monthly hike amid rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
For many in the restaurant industry, the spike has been both sudden and steep.
Manpreet Singh, honorary treasurer of the National Restaurant Association of India, said that eateries are already grappling with supply challenges alongside rising costs.
"There is a huge difficulty in getting these cylinders, and black marketing is also increasing in many unregulated sectors," he said, noting that prices that were once around Rs 1,600, often dropping to nearly Rs 1,300 with discounts, have now surged to between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 per cylinder.
He further added that a medium-sized restaurant typically uses between two and five cylinders daily, making the increase particularly burdensome as costs mount.
Singh further said that as costs mount, smaller establishments could struggle to stay afloat. Instead, the association has advised restaurants to shift towards piped natural gas connections through Indraprastha Gas Limited as a more sustainable alternative.
"If this problem continues, PNG is the only long-term solution," he said, adding that temporary measures like coal offer limited relief due to slower cooking times and that it can largely be used only for tandoors.
Echoing similar concerns, Kabir Suri, owner of Mamagoto in Khan Market, said the impact is already visible across the industry. "There has been almost a threefold increase in cylinder prices for restaurants," he said, adding that rising fuel and logistics costs are compounding the pressure.
"If this continues, it will become a significant financial burden, and food prices will inevitably go up. Adding to this burden, higher fuel costs are also affecting logistics and transportation, making a price rise unavoidable. The extent of the impact will vary between small eateries and large chains depending on their scale," he said.
Global oil prices have surged nearly 50 per cent following disruptions in energy supply chains due to the West Asia conflict, pushing up commercial fuel costs and transport expenses.
A West Delhi-based restaurateur said they are trying to manage rising costs while keeping their staff secure. "We are trying to ensure that our staff, from kitchen workers to waiters, are paid on time and do not face immediate hardship," the owner said.
"We are a small restaurant with seating for about 20 to 25 people at a time. But if this continues for long, we will have to take difficult calls. There is only so much we can absorb, and menu prices will have to go up. We hope this does not continue for a longer period," he said.
Another restaurant owner in North Delhi, who did not wish to be named, said operational adjustments alone may not be enough. "We are checking our costs very carefully and trying to cut wherever possible, but if fuel prices remain high, it will eventually affect how we run the business," the owner said.
"Coal helps in tandoor cooking, but it takes more time," the owner further added.
The strain is even more acute among street vendors, many of whom operate on thin margins. A vendor in Saket said he had recently expanded his business, moving from a mobile cart to a rented outlet.
"I have a family to feed and more responsibilities now. Earlier, I managed with a moving cart, but after renting the place, expenses increased," he said. "Whenever cylinders were unavailable, I had to buy them at higher rates in the black market. Now even regular supply is too expensive, and if this continues, we may have to shut down," he added.
In Laxmi Nagar, another vendor said they are struggling to keep the business running. "Sometimes we even used domestic cylinders from home when supply ran out because we had to keep the stall running," he said, adding that rising costs leave little choice but to increase prices or bear losses.
On April 1, the rates of commercial LPG cylinders were hiked by Rs 195.50 per cylinder, followed by a Rs 114.5 hike on March 1, taking the total increase over the past three months to Rs 1,303. With the latest revision, a 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder now costs Rs 3,371.5 in Delhi, up from Rs 2,078.5 earlier.
The prices of domestic LPG cylinders used for household cooking have remained unchanged. They were last increased by Rs 60 per 14.2 kg cylinder on March 7 and currently cost Rs 913 in Delhi.
