Congress announces its final list of candidates for K'taka polls
Bengaluru (PTI): The Congress in the early hours on Thursday released its sixth and final list, announcing candidates for the remaining five constituencies for the May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka.
Today is the last day for filing nominations.
The Congress has nominated B V Rajeev Gowda from Sidlaghatta, replacing sitting MLA V Muniyappa.
The other candidates announced are: Mohammed Shalam for Raichur, S Anand Kumar from C V Raman Nagar, H P Sridhar Gowda from Arkalgud and Inayath Ali from Mangalore City North.
With this, the Congress has fielded candidates for all the 224 Assembly segments in the state.
The Congress on Wednesday night had announced its fifth list of three candidates, and had replaced the candidate against Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in Shiggaon.
A day after fielding Mohammed Yousuf Savanur as its candidate from Shiggaon in Haveri district, the party nominated Yasir Ahmed Khan Phatan in his place.
The party has fielded A C Srinivasa from Pulakeshinagar by denying a ticket to sitting MLA R Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, who on Wednesday filed nomination as an independent candidate after it was clear that he will not be re-nominated.
Murthy, a Dalit, had won the 2018 Assembly elections with the highest margin of 81,626 votes, creating a record. His house along with the DJ Halli police station was torched by a violent mob in August 2020, over a social media post shared by his relative.
In Bengaluru's K R Puram, Congress has fielded D K Mohan against BJP's Byrathi Basavaraj, a Minister in the Basavaraj Bommai government.
Interestingly, Byrathi Basavaraj had won the seat on a Congress ticket in the 2018 Assembly polls. He was among the 17 Congress-JD(S) MLAs who resigned, which had led to the collapse of the coalition government and paved the way for BJP to come to power in 2019. In the subsequent bypolls, he won on a BJP ticket.
In Mulbagal, the party has fielded B C Muddugangadhar. In 2018, the seat was won by independent candidate H Nagesh, who is now the Congress candidate from Mahadevapura segment in Bengaluru.
Scrutiny of nominations will take place on April 21, and the last day for the withdrawal of candidature is April 24.
Here's the sixth & final list of Congress candidates finalised by the CEC for the Karnataka assembly elections 2023. pic.twitter.com/HoK53ybdIr
— Congress (@INCIndia) April 20, 2023
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Andhra CM promises housing for all poor by 2029
Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said his government will ensure housing for all the poor before 2029 and allocate housing plots for those who do not own land.
Addressing the Assembly, the Chief Minister urged eligible beneficiaries who have not received a house to apply, assuring that both the central and state governments would take the responsibility for providing housing to all.
“We will not only build houses for all the poor before 2029 but also provide housing plots to landless people,” said Naidu, adding that the government intends to build houses for all the poor.
Noting that the state government aims to allot housing plots to all before 2029, Naidu said it will build apartments if housing plots were not available.
Ahead of Ugadi festival in 2026, the CM said the government will organise three lakh house warming ceremonies under welfare housing, vowing to organise 10 lakh such events within 2026.
On agriculture, Naidu said the southern state accounts for 10 percent of agricultural production at the national level.
He outlined a five-pronged approach of water security, demand-driven crops, food processing, marketing and government support to develop agriculture.
In fiscal 2025 – 26, the CM said Rs 13,772 crore has been earmarked for free power to agriculture, and a financial aid of Rs 20,000 per annum is being given to farmers under Annadata Sukhibava welfare scheme.
According to him, only Rs 7,500 was given to farmers during the previous YSRCP regime. He highlighted that the TDP-led NDA government is offering more than double that amount.
The TDP supremo also announced plans to expand AI agronomist and farm mechanisation services on a large-scale.
Noting that Rs 14,230 crore investments have flowed into the food processing sector, Naidu said the government is concentrating on this front.
Observing that 15 lakh acres are under natural farming in 8,168 villages, he said the target is to expand it to 50 lakh acres.
Besides setting up a large cocoa city near Eluru, he said the government will provide power at Rs 1.5 per unit to aquaculture, among other initiatives.
Assuring continued support, Naidu said his government would stand by farmers in all circumstances and also extend assistance to tenant farmers.
Meanwhile, Irrigation Minister N Rama Naidu informed the House that water would be supplied up to Anakapalli by June 2026 through Polavaram left main canal.
He also said that the government has allocated Rs 600 crore in FY27 budget for Sujala Sravanti project in North Andhra.
The House was later adjourned till Wednesday, March 4.
