Mother dies in Kerala flood, but doesn't leave son's hand
Malappuram: The lifeless bodies of a mother and her infant child recovered in a position holding their hands tightly left many a rescue personnel teary eyed at nearby Kottakkunnu, a hilly area which had been rocked by massive landslides two days ago.
It was believed that the woman, Geethu, 21, was lying with her one and half year-old son Dhruv, holding his hand when the unexpected flood fury and landslide had swept them away on Friday afternoon.
After hours-long search, the bodies of Geethu, wife of Sarath, and the child were recovered by rescue personnel on Sunday.
It was heart-wrenching for local people and the rescue officials to see the bodies of the mother and child beneath the piles of mud and slush, their hands clasped together.
While Sarath had escaped unhurt, the body of his mother, Sarojini was recovered on Monday.
Sarath and family were staying in a rented house at Kottakkunnu, a fragile area in Malappuram, which had witnessed widespread destruction in the heavy rains and series of landslides last week.
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Karnataka bypolls: Over 60 per cent voter turnout in Bagalkot, Davanagere South till 5 pm
Bengaluru (PTI): Over 60 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm in both Assembly constituencies in Karnataka, where bypolls were held on Thursday.
While the turnout in Bagalkot was 65.68 per cent, it was 63.04 per cent in Davanagere South.
While the ruling Congress faces the challenge of retaining both seats, the BJP aims to wrest them and deliver a setback to its rival, which is currently witnessing an "internal power struggle" over leadership.
The bypolls were necessitated due to the demise of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti (Bagalkot) and Shamanur Shivashankarappa (Davanagere South).
A total of over 2.59 lakh eligible voters are expected to cast their votes at around 319 polling stations in Bagalkot, where nine candidates are in the fray.
In Davanagere South, over 2.31 lakh eligible voters are expected to vote across 284 polling stations, with 25 candidates contesting.
The BJP has fielded former MLA and 2023 defeated candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath from Bagalkot, and a fresh face, Srinivas T Dasakariyappa, from Davanagere South.
The Congress has given tickets to family members of the late legislators in both constituencies. Bagalkot candidate Umesh Meti is the son of H Y Meti, while Samarth Mallikarjun from Davanagere South is the grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
