Bommai, Union Ministers Joshi and Khuba file nominations
Bengaluru (PTI): Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, BJP leader Pralhad Joshi and actor Shivarajkumar's wife Geetha Shivarajkumar were among the prominent persons who filed their nominations on Monday for the May 7 Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka.
Bommai filed his papers as the BJP candidate from Haveri and was accompanied by former Minister B C Patil and other party leaders.
He earlier paid respects to his parents' memorial. Bommai is the son of veteran Janata Party leader and former Chief Minister late S R Bommai.
Bommai's opponent from Congress, Anandswamy Gaddadevarmath, too filed his papers on Monday.
Joshi who is the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines, formally entered the fray from Dharwad. Veteran party leader B S Yediyurappa and former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar were among the leaders who were with him.
Prior to filing his nomination, Joshi held a road show accompanied by the leaders.
Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers and New and Renewable Energy Bhagwanth Khuba filed his nomination papers from Bidar.
Geetha Shivarajkumar, who is also the daughter of former Chief Minister late S Bangarappa and daughter-in-law of Kannada thespian late Rajkumar filed her nomination as Congress candidate from Shimoga.
She was accompanied by Shivarajkumar, her brother and state's School Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa, and several party leaders. They also held a road show, in which Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President D K Shivakumar participated.
Mrinal Hebbalkar, son of Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Minister of Women and Child Development in the state, also filed his nomination as the Congress candidate from the Belgaum Lok Sabha segment. He too was accompanied by Shivakumar and party leader Laxman Savadi among others. His road show earlier in the day featured his mother, senior minister Satish Jarkiholi and other leaders.
Among other candidates who filed their papers were BJP MP Annasaheb Shankar Jolle, who is seeking re-election from Chikkodi and the party's MP G M Siddeshwara's wife Gayathri Siddeshwara from Davangere.
As many as 14 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats will be going to polls in the second phase for which April 19 is the last day for filing nominations. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on April 20 and April 22 is the last day for withdrawal of papers.
In the first phase, 14 Lok Sabha constituencies are going to polls on April 26.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
