BJP issues Raghupati Bhat show-cause notice for contesting Vidhan Parishad poll as rebel candidate
Udupi: The State Disciplinary Committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has issued a show-cause notice to senior BJP member and former Udupi MLA Raghupati Bhat for filing his nomination as Independent candidate for the Karnataka Legislative Council election.
Bhat filed his nomination papers from the South West Graduates constituency of the Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad) as a rebel candidate of the BJP as his request for the party ticket from the constituency was rejected. The elections to the Legislative Council will be held on June 3.
In a letter dated Wednesday, May 22, Lingaraj Patil, President of the BJP State Disciplinary Committee, has informed Bhat that he had violated the party rules by filing his nomination papers as a rebel candidate for the election to the Legislative Council, thereby competing against the official candidate of the party.
Patil has also directed Bhat to give the Committee a clarification in the matter within two days of receiving the notice.
The Udupi district unit of the BJP had recently appealed to the Karnataka state unit of the party to take disciplinary action against Bhat for contesting the Legislative Council election as a rebel candidate from the constituency.
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Paper leak mafia thriving under BJP's double-engine governments: Bhagwant Mann
Shimla (PTI): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday slammed the Centre over the alleged NEET paper leak and said that such incidents are surfacing in regions governed by the BJP's 'double-engine' and 'triple-engine' governments.
He said the leak and cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance test (NEET) 2026 examination is a major failure on the part of the Union government.
"This is not the first time that a paper leak has happened. Such incidents have surfaced in 2017, 2021, 2024, and now even in 2026 and every time, a CBI inquiry is initiated, arrests are made, yet after a short while, the accused are released on bail," he said.
Mann, who arrived at the Dharamshala Cricket Stadium to boost the morale of the Punjab Kings team ahead of their upcoming IPL match, told the media that lakhs of students toil day and night, harbouring dreams of transforming their families' fortunes, but when exams are cancelled due to paper leaks, these students are left heartbroken.
The NEET 2026 paper held on May 3 was cancelled on May 12 after reports of a paper leak in Rajasthan.
He said that the paper leak mafia is predominantly surfacing in regions governed by the BJP's 'double-engine' and 'triple-engine' governments. "Paper leaked, dreams shattered, the country's administrative system is unable to conduct even a single examination properly", he added.
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mann said that while Modi imposes various restrictions on the public, he himself continues to embark on foreign tours.
He asserted that the public deserves to know the country's true economic situation.
"The prime minister must disclose the current status of the country's oil reserves, the extent of our gold reserves, and fundamentally why restrictions are being imposed on every single commodity", he said.
No other nation has imposed such restrictions and the ongoing war is being used as a pretext, even though the country's economy is already in a precarious state, Mann added.
Regarding the ongoing campaign against drugs in Punjab, Mann said that the state government is continuously taking action against drug traffickers and asserted that a large number of traffickers are being sent to jail and that Punjab will soon move towards becoming drug-free.
Speaking about the upcoming IPL match between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians to be held in Dharamshala, Mann said that he also holds the portfolio of Punjab's sports minister and has arrived in Dharamshala to cheer the team.
