BJP names candidates for Kundgol and Chincholi bypolls
Bengaluru, Apr 28: BJP Sunday announced the names of former MLA S I Chikkanagowdar and Avinash Jadhav as candidates to contest the Kundgol and Chincholi assembly seats, where by-polls will be held on May 19.
The by-poll to Chincholi was necessitated as Umesh Jadhav quit as Congress MLA and joined BJP to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Gulbarga against veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, while Kundgol seat fell vacant following the death of MLA and Minister C S Shivalli.
Chikkanagowdar, who is said to be a relative of state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa, had lost in Kundgol in the 2018 assembly polls to Congress Shivalli by a wafer thin margin of 634 votes.
Chincholi candidate Avinash Jadhav is the son of Umesh Jadhav, whose resignation necessitated the by-polls.
While Umeshs brother Ramachandra Jadhav’s name was earlier recommended by the state BJP core committee to the high command for Chincholi, he is said to have later lobbied for his son Avinash, sources said.
As M R Patil from Kundgol and Sunil Valyapure from Chincholi were also in the race for the candidacy, there is some disgruntlement within the local units of the BJP, which the party leadership is trying to resolve.
Avinash himself met Valyapure on Sunday and sought his support.
Congress has fielded Subash Rathod from Chincholi and widow of C S Shivalli- Kusumavathi as the candidate from Kundgol.
Congress alliance partner JD(S) is supporting the grand old party in this by-poll, which is determined to retain both seats that was under its control.
The outcome of by-polls along with Lok Sabha results is crucial for the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance as it will have a bearing on the longevity of the coalition government, triggering the numbers game in the assembly.
Monday is the last date for filing nominations for the May 19 by-polls, for which the results will be declared on May 23, along with Lok Sabha poll results.
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No more street vending on B’luru’s main roads, as govt plans to bring new policy for street hawkers
Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday said that the state government has decided to formulate a new policy for footpaths in Bengaluru, under which street vending will not be allowed on main roads and sub-main roads.
Addressing the media after a budget preparation meeting and executive meeting of GBA corporations at Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar said discussions were held with MLAs from the GBA region regarding the corporations’ budgets and key civic issues.
Leader of Opposition R. Ashok also participated in the meeting and shared his views. Officials from multiple departments, including police, BESCOM, BMRCL, BWSSB and BDA, along with ministers and legislators, were present.
He stated that all five municipalities have prepared their individual budgets, while MLAs have submitted their demands, including calls for ward-wise grants.
“We have decided to bring a new policy for footpaths. Citizens are struggling to walk as footpaths are encroached upon by street vendors,” Shivakumar said.
Highlighting the need to balance livelihoods and public convenience, he added that “a separate space will be provided for street vendors, and specific roads will be designated for their business,” ensuring that pedestrians can use footpaths without obstruction. He noted that there was unanimous agreement among MLAs on this approach.
Issuing a warning to vendors, Shivakumar said that authorities will act against those violating the rules. “If vendors operate during the day and leave their carts on the roadside at night, authorities will clear them. People should be aware of this,” he said.
Providing data on street vendors, he said that around 60,000 vendors have registered so far, of which 30,000 have applied for vehicles, and a tender has already been floated.
“Only those with street vendor identity cards will be allowed to do business. Those without ID cards will not be permitted to operate on the streets,” he added.
