JD(U) expels 11 leaders for anti-party activities in poll-bound Bihar
Patna(PTI): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) has expelled 11 leaders, including a former minister, for anti-party activities and “defying its ideology” in the run-up to the assembly elections.
The expelled members have also been suspended from the party’s primary membership, according to a statement issued by JD(U) state general secretary Chandan Kumar Singh.
“The party took disciplinary action after it found that all 11 leaders were indulging in anti-party activities in the state,” the statement issued on Saturday evening said.
Those who have been expelled include former minister Shailesh Kumar, former MLAs Shyam Bahadur Singh and Sudharshan Kumar, and former MLCs Sanjay Prasad and Ranvijay Singh.
Reacting to the development, a senior JD(U) leader said, “These expelled leaders were working against the officially declared candidates of the party and other NDA alliance partners. They were defying our ideology.”
The 243-member Bihar assembly will go to polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with the results set to be announced 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.
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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.
