BJP Parliamentary Board to meet tomorrow to finalise candidates for Karnataka polls
Hubballi (K'taka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said the BJP's State Election Committee has shortlisted three names per constituency for the May 10 Assembly polls and the Parliamentary Board will meet in New Delhi on April 8 to discuss and finalise the list of candidates.
The Chief Minister is leaving for New Delhi this evening.
"Tomorrow our Parliamentary Board meeting is there (in Delhi). After discussions today and tomorrow (on candidates) the Parliamentary Board will meet to finalise," Bommai said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "Opinions have been gathered from constituency and district level, after which the State Election Committee has discussed and has shortlisted three names (per constituency), it will be discussed and finalised by the Parliamentary Board in Delhi."
Ticket aspirants are waiting for the BJP to announce the list of candidates, with election date approaching.
Election notification will be issued on April 13, while the last date for filing nominations is April 20.
The Congress has announced candidates for 166 out of total 224 seats, while JD(S) has announced one list of 93 candidates.
The BJP that aims to come back to power with absolute majority, has set a target of winning at least 150 of the total 224 seats.
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Savarkar remarks: Rahul Gandhi appears in Pune court via video link in defamation case, gets bail
Pune, Jan 10: A special court in Pune on Friday granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case related to his alleged objectionable remarks on Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar.
The MP/MLA court granted bail to the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha on a surety bond of Rs 25,000 after he appeared before it through video conferencing, his lawyer said.
Senior Congress leader Mohan Joshi stood as surety for Gandhi (54) before the court presided over by Amol Shinde, judicial magistrate (first class) and special judge for MP/MLA cases.
Advocate Milind Pawar, representing Gandhi, said soon after his client appeared before the court, they moved a bail application.
The judge allowed the plea and granted bail to the former Congress president on a surety bond of Rs 25000, he informed.
The advocate said the court also granted permanent exemption to the Lok Sabha MP from Rae Bareli from appearing before it.
The case was filed on a complaint by V D Savarkar's grandnephew Satyaki, who alleged Gandhi had made defamatory remarks against the Hindutva icon at a programme he attended in London in March 2023.
Earlier, advocate Sangram Kolhatkar, representing Satyaki Savarkar, objected to Gandhi's application seeking virtual appearance.
There was no provision that allows an accused to appear in court through video conferencing before securing bail, Kolhatkar argued.
The court, however, permitted Gandhi to attend the proceedings online.
Wearing a bottle green sweater, the Congress MP appeared before the court and stated his name when the judge asked for it.
The matter will be next heard on February 18.
As per the complaint, Gandhi, while speaking at the London event, stated that Savarkar had written in a book that he and five to six of his friends once beat up a Muslim man and he (Savarkar) felt happy.
According to the complaint, the freedom fighter had not written this anywhere and the Congress leader's remarks were aimed at defaming him.
At the time, the court had asked the Pune police to investigate the allegations and file a report.
The Vishrambaug police, after an inquiry, submitted that there was prima facie truth in the complaint.
Gandhi had skipped the previous court appearance on December 2 citing the winter session of Parliament which he was attending.
His lawyer Pawar had then assured that the opposition parliamentarian will appear in the court on January 10.
