BJP denies ticket to Union Minister Narayanaswamy from Chitradurga LS seat
Bengaluru, Mar 27: BJP on Wednesday announced senior party leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Govind M Karjol as its candidate from Chitradurga Lok Sabha seat, replacing incumbent MP and Union Minister A Narayanaswamy.
According to party sources, Narayanaswamy, who is Union Minister of State for Social Welfare and Empowerment, was "facing anti-incumbency," and hence he was denied ticket. Narayanaswamy, who does not hail from Chitradurga, had earlier been an MLA from Anekal near Bengaluru.
With this, the BJP has announced candidates for all 25 seats it will be contesting in the state, which has a total of 28 constituencies. In the remaining three seats -- Mandya, Hassan and Kolar -- BJP's NDA partner JD(S) will be contesting.
Karjol, who hails from Vijayapura district, had been a five-term member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Mudhol constituency in Bagalkote district.
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The 73-year-old had served as Minister holding various portfolios in BJP governments, also party's state Vice-President, and Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Assembly. He was earlier with Janata Dal.
Karjol was defeated in the 2023 Assembly polls from Mudhol by Congress' R B Timmapur, who is now a Minister in the Siddaramaiah-led government.
Congress has fielded B N Chandrappa, who had lost to Narayanaswamy in 2019. Chandrappa had won the Lok Sabha polls from Chitradurga in 2014.
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Karnataka Minister Muniyappa to hold meeting to resolve Auto LPG supply issue
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister K H Muniyappa on Monday said that he will call a meeting on April 10 aimed at resolving the Auto LPG supply issue in the state.
He also said that private oil companies had hiked LPG prices for vehicles, leading to long queues at public sector stations.
Bengaluru and several other places in the state are witnessing disruption in auto services, hit by a shortage of Auto LPG. Long queues of autos are seen outside fuel stations at many places.
On Monday, the minister met with representatives of auto drivers' associations and heard their concerns.
"We are aware that auto drivers are in distress. Around 3,000 Auto LPG cylinders are being supplied by the central government daily, but private suppliers have increased the price, which is causing inconvenience to auto drivers. I will immediately call a meeting to resolve the issue," Muniyappa, who holds Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs portfolios, said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "The government supplies approximately 3,000 Auto LPG cylinders daily. The private companies also supply equal numbers of cylinders. I have learned that private companies have increased the prices. I will speak to the concerned officials."
"On April 10, I will call a meeting and try to solve the issue. Auto drivers' lives depend on these LPG supplies, so I will try to resolve the issue on a priority basis," he said, adding that private companies representatives, union government officials, Indian Oil Corporation coordinators, police and senior state government officials will also be called for the meeting.
According to official sources, PSU-operated outlets, including those of IOC, are retailing Auto LPG at around Rs 89.52 per litre in Bengaluru, whereas private marketers are selling between Rs 99 and Rs 105 per litre. This difference has led to a significant shift in customer preference toward PSU-operated Auto LPG Dispensing Stations (ALDS), resulting in increased footfall and longer wait times at these stations.
Stating that the situation is serious as the war is on in West Asia, the minister sought cooperation from everyone.
"The energy or fuel crisis is there across the world. If the Centre had planned to get the energy supplies from Russia a month in advance, this situation would not have arisen. Things have happened now. Let's try and resolve the issues," he added.
