BJP releases third list of candidates
Bengaluru/New Delhi, Apr 17: With just three days left for the deadline of filing nominations for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka, the ruling BJP on Monday announced candidates for 10 more constituencies.
The party has fielded state BJP General Secretary Mahesh Tenginkai from the Hubli-Dharwad Central Assembly segment, which was represented by former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who joined the Congress today upset that he was overlooked for the contest by the saffron party.
In three seats, family members of party leaders have been given tickets. While former Minister and MLA Aravind Limbavali's wife Manjula Arvind Limbavali has got the ticket for the Mahadevapura Constituency, the party has fielded Katta Jagadish, son of former Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu from Hebbal.
Koppal Lok Sabha member Karadi Sanganna's daughter in-law Manjula Amaresh has been made the candidate from Koppal Assembly segment. Karadi Sanganna himself was a ticket aspirant from the segment and had planned to quit from his Parliament membership as well as from the party over delay in the ticket announcement.
In Bengaluru's Govindraj Nagar, Umesh Shetty has been given the ticket. Senior Minister V Somanna, who currently represents the seat, had requested the party to give his son Arun Somanna a chance from the constituency, after he was fielded from two Assembly segments- Chamarajanagar and Varuna (against Congress leader Siddaramaiah).
In Mysuru district's Krishnaraja Assembly segment a new face, Srivatsa, has been given the ticket as the party dropped four-time MLA S A Ramadas.
According to party sources, Shettar's exit seems to have influenced decision-making vis-a-vis the third list with the party giving tickets to family members of senior leaders or legislators who were aspirants, and renominating a couple of sitting MLAs.
Sitting MLAs Rajkumar Patil and Kalakappa Bandi have been renominated from the Sedam and Ron seats, respectively.
The BJP had earlier announced the first and second list of 189 and 23 candidates respectively, totalling 212 of the total 224 seats; now with the announcement of 10 more seats the figure stands at 222. The two seats remaining are Shivamogga and Manvi.
K S Eshwarappa, a former Deputy Chief Minister, has told the party's central leadership that he wishes to retire from electoral politics and has requested it to not consider fielding him in the Assembly polls from Shivamogga. He is however said to be seeking a candidacy for his son K E Kantesh from the seat.
#KarnatakaElections2023 | BJP releases third list of candidates.
— ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2023
BJP MLA Aravind Limbavali's wife Manjula Aravind Limbavali to contest from Mahadevapura. pic.twitter.com/Xc7VIautAp
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Young woman from MP who shot to fame during Kumbh found to be minor, case registered against husband
Khargone (MP) (PTI): The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes on Friday confirmed that a young woman from Madhya Pradesh who became famous due to her viral videos during the 2025 Maha Kumbh has been found to be a minor after an inquiry.
Citing the findings of an inquiry panel set up by the commission, local BJP leaders alleged that her interfaith marriage in Kerala last month was a case of "love Jihad", and sought legal action.
While the panel had submitted its report in March, ST commission chairman Antar Singh Arya confirmed its findings to the PTI on Friday.
A case for alleged kidnapping and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has already been registered against her husband, a Muslim man, at Maheshwar on the basis of the inquiry findings, police said.
The girl gained national fame after her videos while selling garlands and rudraksha at the Maha Kumbh went viral on social media and also earned her a role in a film.
The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes set up an inquiry panel after receiving a complaint on March 17 from Pratham Dubey, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, that she was a minor and was being exploited.
Maheshwar BJP MLA Rajkumar Mev and BJP mandal president Vikram Patel, armed with documents, told reporters on Friday that her marriage in Kerala was a case of "love Jihad" and she should be brought back home.
'Love jihad' is a term used by right-wing groups to allege a conspiracy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into marriage to convert them to Islam.
Police said an investigation is underway, and further action would be taken accordingly.
The girl, who belongs to the nomadic Pardhi community, got married at a temple in Kerala in March. The interfaith marriage drew angry reactions from rightwing Hindu groups.
Her family members and film director Sanoj Mishra -- who had offered her a film role after she became famous -- too alleged that it was 'love Jihad'.
As per the inquiry conducted by the ST commission, records at the Maheshwar government hospital showed the woman's date of birth as December 30, 2009 which meant she was 16 years and two months old at the time of marriage, said Dubey, the complainant.
On a complaint filed by her father, police registered a case against the girl's husband at Maheshwar police station on March 25 for alleged kidnapping and under the POCSO Act and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Police sources said that a separate case was also registered on March 24 under section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (taking a minor from lawful custody of guardian without their consent) based on the the commission's findings.
