Campaigning for Nov 3 Karnataka bypolls comes to an end
Bengaluru, Nov 1: Campaigning for the November 3 bypolls to three Lok Sabha and two assembly constituencies in Karnataka came to an end Thursday, with a BJP candidate pulling out of the contest and returning to the Congress.
In a major embarrassment for the BJP, two days before the Ramanagara assembly bypoll, its candidate against Chief Minister H.D Kumaraswamy's wife quit the contest on Thursday and returned to the Congress.
With BJP's L Chandrashekhar withdrawing his candidature, Kumaraswamy's wife Anitha Kumaraswamy, is expected to have a smooth sail facing a virtual no-contest.
Bypolls for three Lok Sabha constituencies-Shivamogga, Ballari and Mandya and two assembly constituencies- Ramanagara and Jamkhandi, will take place Saturday.
Counting of votes will be on November 6.
Congress and JD(S) that are ruling coalition partners in Karnataka have decided to fight the bypolls unitedly against the BJP.
Congress has fielded its candidates in Jamkhandi and Ballari and JD(S) in Shivamogga, Ramanagara and Mandya.
While Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy remained away from campaigning on the last day as he had take part in the "Karnataka Rajyotsava", state formation day celebrations, in Bengaluru, most leaders from different political parties made a last attempt to woo the voters.
Former chief ministers Siddaramaiah and Jagadish Shettar campaigned in Jamkhandi for Congress candidate Anand Nyamagouda and BJP candidate Shrikant Kulkarni respectively.
State BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa campaigned for his son and party candidate B Y Raghavendra who is pitted against another former chief minister S Bangarappa's son Madhu Bangarappa ofthe JD(S).
While senior Congress leader D K Shivakumar campaigned for party candidate V S Ugrappa, considered an outsider for Ballari, BJP's Sriramulu sought votes for his sister J Shanta.
JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister was in the party's bastion of Mandya Thursday to campaign for Shivarame Gowda, who is pitted against a fresh face Dr Siddaramaiah, a retired Commercial Tax officer from the BJP.
However, in a twist to the poll campaign on the last day in Ramanagara, BJP candidate L Chandrashekhar withdrew his candidature.
Announcing his decision to return to his "mother party," the Congress, Chandrashekhar accused BJP and its leaders of "abandoning" him after giving him the ticket.
The development just ahead of polls is being seen as senior Congress leader D K Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh's response to the BJP's alleged attempts to weaken the coalition government by trying to "poach" Congress MLAs.
Upset and embarrassed BJP workers staged a protest in Ramanagara and vented their anger against Chandrashekhar.
Chandrashekhar, son of a senior Congress leader C M Lingappa, had joined BJP as the Congress decided to support the candidate of its ruling coalition partner, JD(S).
Within days after joining the BJP, he was announced as the party's candidate.
During campaigning in the last couple of weeks open expression of displeasure by congress workers was seen in the Vokkaliga bastion of Ramanagara and Mandya constituencies that come under old Mysuru region, as a large section of local party leaders and workers are opposed to their party decision to support JD(S) candidate in both segments.
Congress and JD(S) that had fought bitterly against each other in the assembly polls, especially in the old Mysore Region, decided to join hands to form a government as the May 12 assembly polls threw up a hung verdict.
There are 31 candidates in the fray.
By-elections have been necessitated after BJP's B S Yeddyurappa (Shivamogga) and B Sriramulu (Ballari), and C S Puttaraju of JD(S) (Mandya) resigned as MPs on their election to the assembly in May this year.
Bypolls to Jamkhandi assembly seat was caused by the death of Congress MLA Siddu Nyamagouda, while Ramanagara fell vacant after Kumaraswamy gave up the seat preferring Channapatna, the other constituency from where he had won.
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'Someone must be held accountable': HC converts civil suit on Goa nightclub tragedy into PIL
Panaji (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Monday converted a civil suit against Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) saying "someone has to be held accountable" for the tragedy in which 25 people were killed.In a stern observation, Goa bench of the High Court of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ashish Chavan said the local panchayat had "failed to take suo motu cognisance" of the club and had taken "no action despite complaints."
The division bench directed the Goa government to file a detailed reply on the permissions granted to the nightclub.
The High Court, while fixing January 8 as the next date of hearing, pointed out that commercial operations were continuing in the structure despite it having been served a demolition order.
The original petition was filed after the December 6 tragedy by Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar, the owners of the land on which the nightclub was operating.
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Advocate Rohit Bras de Sa, the lawyer representing the petitioner, was made amicus curiae in the matter and has been asked to file a detailed affidavit in the matter.
In their petition, Amonkar and Divkar highlighted "the alarming pattern of statutory violations that have remained inadequately addressed despite multiple complaints, inspections, show-cause notices, and even a demolition order".
They contended that these violations posed "immediate threats to public safety, ecological integrity, and the rule of law in the state of Goa."
Investigations by multiple agencies into the nightclub fire have revealed various irregularities, including lack of permissions to operate the nightclub.
The Goa police arrested five managers and staff members of the club, while co-owners Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra have been detained in Thailand after they fled the country.
