Cong MLC wants to contest from Bengaluru North, a seat Deve Gowda is reportedly eyeing
Bengaluru, Jan 2: Amid reports that JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda might contest the Lok Sabha polls from Bangalore North, senior Congress leader and MLC H M Revanna Wednesday expressed his keenness to contest from the seat.
"In Hebbal (assembly segment that comes under Bangalore north) also I have my (base). For 12 years I Have worked as Bengaluru city president and prepared several people (for the party). I'm a known face in this part,"Revanna said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said he was also an aspirant and he was asking the party for a ticket.
"Whatever the party decides, I will abide by it, but I'm also an aspirant," he said.
Revanna, who had lost from Channapatna, also pointed out that during the recent Assembly elections he wasn't given a ticket from either Magadi or Hebbal and his term as MLC was also coming to an end.
Considered a close confidante of Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, he was also an aspirant for the Minister's post in the coalition cabinet.
According to reports, during the recent party meeting, a section of leaders from Bengaluru proposed the idea of Gowda contesting from Bangalore North as it would help the ruling coalition to gain a hold in the city.
Vokkaligas, the community to which Gowda belongs, have a considerable presence in the constituency, along with minorities.
BJP currently has a hold over the three Lok Sabha constituencies Bangalore- North, South and Central.
Union Minister Sadananda Gowda is the sitting Member Of Parliament from Bangalore North.
There is no clarity on whether Sadananda Gowda will contest from the constituency, with reports suggesting that he may go back to Udupi Chikmagalur Lok Sabha constituency.
Stating that JD(S) was looking for 12 out of 28 seats in the state to contest during the Lok Sabha polls,Gowda On Saturday had given a clear indication about his grandson Prajwal Revanna contesting the polls from Hassan, the JD(S) bastion that he has been representing.
Asked about reports that he was considering contesting the Lok Sabha polls,Gowda, citing health reasons and his age, said he has "not decided yet."
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Hospital wall collapse: CM orders suspension of executive engineer; kin of victims get solatium
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday ordered the immediate suspension of an executive engineer for the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital wall collapse that claimed the lives of seven people, during a high-level review meeting at Vidhana Soudha.
A compensation of Rs 5 lakh, as announced by the CM Siddaramaiah, was distributed to the families of seven victims who lost their lives in the tragedy on Wednesday evening, which occurred due to heavy downpour with gusty winds and hailstorm.
The meeting of municipal commissioners of the five corporations, chaired by the chief minister and attended by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, focused on fixing accountability and examining lapses that led to the tragedy.
"Why was soil dumped in a way that damaged the wall? Why did you not monitor this?" Siddaramaiah asked, pulling up hospital authorities during the meeting.
A statement from the chief minister's office said that the CM ordered the immediate suspension of the executive engineer of the Karnataka Health Systems Development Project (KHSDP).
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He also questioned the hospital authorities, asking why they failed to monitor the dumping of soil that weakened the structure.
The chief minister directed that a notice be issued to the head of the Hospital.
During the meeting, Siddaramaiah said the rains had caused extensive damage in the city, with over 250 trees uprooted.
The Chief Minister instructed officials to take necessary measures before the onset of the monsoon to avoid untoward incidents.
Commissioners of all five municipal zones in Bengaluru have been asked to take precautionary steps, including trimming dry and dangerous tree branches, the CMO said.
Siddaramaiah also directed them to get the silt cleared from stormwater drains to prevent flooding, and that immediate action be taken to remove debris and fallen branches from roads.
Further, he instructed that barricades be placed at underpasses where water stagnates and restricts public movement.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao said in a statement that Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad distributed compensation cheques of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased on Thursday.
Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed and seven others injured when the compound wall collapsed amid heavy rain, strong winds and a hailstorm on Wednesday evening.
Police said the victims, comprising three from Bengaluru, two from Kerala on a study tour and one each from Uttar Pradesh and Assam, had taken shelter near the wall when it suddenly gave way, trapping them under the debris.
The chief minister questioned officials over the dumping of soil near the wall despite knowing it could weaken the structure, and directed that a notice be issued to the head of Bowring Hospital.
Siddaramaiah, who had visited the spot soon after the incident along with senior officials, reviewed the situation and ordered a detailed probe into the collapse.
