Karnataka polls: BJP fields four new faces in Udupi district
Mangaluru (PTI): With the announcement of Gururaj Gantihole, a partyman with strong RSS background, as its candidate from Byndoor in Udupi, the ruling BJP in Karnataka has presented four new faces from the coastal district, which was swept by the party in the 2018 Assembly elections.
Among the five seats in the district, only Energy Minister V Sunil Kumar could get the party's renomination from Karkala constituency.
In the prestigious Udupi seat, sitting MLA Raghupati Bhat was replaced by controversial, emerging Hindutva leader Yashpal Suvarna who has strong support among the party cadre.
Yashpal Suvarna is one of the staunchest supporters of Hindutva ideology and had made controversial remarks against protesters in the Hijab row. He went on to call the protesters and petitioners of the Hijab row ‘terrorists’. He was also the vice president of the college committee at the Women’s Government PU College during the Hijab row.
Sitting MLA B M Sukumar Shetty was replaced by Gantihole in Byndoor, while Kiran Kumar Kodgi, a nominee of sitting MLA Halady Srinivas Shetty, who announced his retirement from electoral politics, was given ticket in Kundapur.
In Kaup, BJP fielded a new face in Gurme Suresh Shetty, replacing sitting MLA Lalaji R Mendon.
In Karkala, where the party retained minister V Sunil Kumar as its candidate, a tough fight is expected in view of Sri Ram Sene chief Pramod Muthalik's decision to contest polls.
Bhat, who broke down before the media on Wednesday, did not mention anything about the reported move to contest as an independent.
In the 2018 Assembly elections, the BJP had won from all the five constituencies in the district.
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Supreme Court grants bail to MLA Vinay Kulkarni in Yogish Gowda murder case
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has granted bail to Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni in connection with the murder of BJP Zilla Panchayat member Yogish Gowda from Hebballi in Dharwad district.
A bench headed by Justice Sanjay Karol passed the order granting bail to Kulkarni.
Earlier, following the cancellation of his bail, Kulkarni had surrendered before the Special Court for MPs and MLAs. His recent bail plea had also been rejected by the High Court.
Subsequently, Kulkarni approached the Supreme Court, which has now granted him bail.
