30 candidates in the fray for bypolls to 2 assembly and 1 LS seat in Karnataka
Bengaluru, Apr 3: A total of 30 candidates are in the fray for the April 17 by polls to Belgaum Lok Sabha, and Maski and Basavakalyan assembly segments, after 12 people withdrew their papers on Saturday, the last day to do so, poll officials said.
The ruling BJP faces rebellion in Basavakalyan, with former MLA Mallikarjun Khuba in the fray as an independent candidate.
According to information shared by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka, 10 out of the 30 candidates are from Belgaum, 12 from Basavakalyan and Maski 8.
Among the 12 who have withdrawn their papers, eight are from Belgaum and two each from Basavakalyan and Maski.
The 30 candidates include three each from BJP and Congress (one each from all three constituencies), one JD(S) candidate from Basavakalyan, 14 independents. The others are all from registered unrecognised parties.
While 26 contesting candidates are men, among four women candidates include two are from Basavakalyan and one each from Belgaum and Maski.
By-polls to Belgaum Lok Sabha and Basavakalyan Assembly seats were necessitated following the death of Union Minister Suresh Angadi and MLA B Narayan Rao respectively due to COVID-19 in September last year.
Maski seat fell vacant following the disqualification of MLA Prathapagouda Patil, who had won in 2018 from Congress and is now with the BJP.
Counting of votes will take place on May 2.
The ruling BJP has fielded Mangala Suresh Angadi, the wife of late Suresh Angadi, from Belgaum Lok Sabha seat.
Pratapagouda Patil, who quit Congress and joined the party is its candidate in Maski assembly segment, while youth leader Sharanu Salagar has been fielded in Basavakalyan.
BJP rebel and former MLA Mallikarjun Khuba is in the fray as an independent from Basavakalyan.
He is said to have not relented despite the efforts made by senior state BJP leaders to pacify him and may threaten the prospects of the saffron party's official candidate Sharanu Salagar, sources said.
The Congress has fielded its state working president Satish Jarkiholi, who is currently the MLA of Yamkanmaradi assembly segment, from Belgaum.
Mallamma, the wife of late legislator B Narayan Rao, is the grand old party's candidate from Basavakalyan seat, while Basanagouda Turvihal, who recently joined the party, has been fielded in Maski segment.
JD(S) has named Syed Yasrab Ali Quadri, who was with the Congress earlier, as its candidate from Basavakalyan.
The party has not fielded anyone from Maski and Belgaum.
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Attempt to shield 'infiltrators': BJP ahead of Cong's rally against 'vote theft'
New Delhi (PTI): Ahead of the Congress' rally over the "vote theft" issue, the BJP on Sunday alleged that the main opposition party was holding the event in its bid to "protect infiltrators" from being removed from the electoral rolls.
The ruling BJP asserted that the Congress will not succeed in its design of misleading people as well as "insulting and defaming" constitutional institutions, because the entire world knows that India's democracy is "very robust".
Stepping up its campaign against the alleged "vote theft" by the BJP in elections, the Congress has organised a rally at the Ramlila Maidan here on Sunday that will be attended by the party's top leaders, including general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, and Sachin Pilot.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi are expected to address the gathering. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi is also likely to be present at the event.
Ahead of the event, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said the Congress was holding the rally even as Union Home Minister Amit Shah "exposed" the opposition through his point-by-point rebuttal to their "fabricated" allegations during a debate on electoral reforms during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament.
"This shows that you do not have truth in your hand, yet you are trying to create an atmosphere of confusion. The Congress' rally is an exercise to protect 'ghuspaithiyas (infiltrators)'. This is what the Congress is doing," the BJP MP told reporters here.
"The Congress party may try all it wants to mislead the people as well as insult and defame our constitutional institutions. But, the entire world knows that India's democracy is very robust and it cannot be shaken," he added.
The BJP leader accused the Congress of holding the rally to pursue its "appeasement politics" and dared Rahul Gandhi to challenge the Bihar assembly polls if he felt that there was any irregularity.
"Rahul ji, you still have perhaps 10 days left in your hands. You can still file a complaint if you feel that there was any irregularity (in the poll process) in any of the seats in the Bihar assembly polls," Patra said.
