BJP releases first list of 189 candidates for Karnataka Elections, names 52 fresh candidates
Bengaluru: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), currently in power in Karnataka, released its first list of candidates for the upcoming assembly elections on Monday. The ruling party in the state announced candidates for 189 assembly constituencies.
While the Congress party has only announced the names of 166 candidates for the second phase of elections, the BJP has revealed the names of candidates for the first phase. This move has given the BJP a head start in the election campaign as they aim to retain power in the southern state.
The party has nominated Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai to contest from the Shiggaon constituency. Both constituencies are in the state's northwestern region.
The announcement of candidates for the upcoming elections is a crucial step in the run-up to the polls, which are expected to take place in May 2023.
The state of Karnataka has been a battleground for political parties for many years, with both the BJP and Congress having previously held power. The upcoming elections are expected to be fiercely contested, with the BJP looking to consolidate its hold on the state, while the Congress seeks to make a comeback.
As the election campaign heats up, all eyes will be on the key candidates and their campaign strategies. With the BJP announcing its first list of candidates, the stage is set for an exciting battle in the upcoming assembly elections.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Traffic fraud: Fake 'no-entry' sticker racket busted in Delhi, mastermind among 3 held
New Delhi (PTI): Police here have busted a crime syndicate involved in traffic fraud and extortion, arresting three people including the alleged mastermind who sold fake stickers to help commercial vehicles bypass no-entry restrictions, an official said on Saturday.
The police said they dismantled a third organised syndicate linked to traffic-related frauds, with the arrest of Rinku Rana alias Bhushan, his associate Sonu Sharma and Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, who was also connected to another extortion syndicate.
According to the police, Rinku Rana was running a well-organised network that facilitated the movement of commercial goods vehicles during restricted hours by selling fake 'marka' or stickers for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per vehicle every month. The stickers were falsely projected as authorisation to evade traffic challans.
During raids, the police recovered Rs 31 lakh in cash, property documents worth several crores of rupees, over 500 fake stickers and six mobile phones allegedly used to operate the syndicate.
The crackdown followed a complaint filed by a traffic police officer in April this year after a commercial vehicle tried to evade checking by producing a fake sticker claiming exemption from enforcement action.
Investigation revealed that social media groups were being used to coordinate the illegal movement of vehicles and alert drivers about traffic police checkpoints, police said.
"A parallel system was being run to cheat drivers and vehicle owners while undermining traffic enforcement. On the basis of evidence, provisions related to organised crime under the BNS were invoked," a senior police officer said.
Sonu Sharma, the police said, managed social media groups through which stickers were sold and real-time alerts were circulated regarding traffic police movement. He also acted as a link between Rana and drivers operating in the field.
In a related development, Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, an associate of Rajkumar alias Raju Meena, who was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was also apprehended.
Mukesh allegedly helped extort money from transporters and was involved in blackmailing traffic police personnel by recording enforcement actions, the police said.
Investigators alleged the syndicate led by Rajkumar deployed drivers to deliberately violate traffic rules and secretly record police officials during challans, later using manipulated videos to extort money under threat of false allegations.
The police said that in total, eight accused belonging to three different organised crime syndicates linked to traffic frauds and extortion have been arrested so far.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining members, conduct financial probes, and analyse digital evidence recovered during the raids, officials added.
