Congress to announce candidates for Karnataka by-elections in 2 days
Bengaluru, Sept 24: Karnataka Congress will finalise the list of candidates for the October 21 bypolls for15 constituencies in the state in two days, its legislature party leader Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday.
The former Chief Minister also expressed confidence that Congress candidates will win all 15 constituencies and people would teach a lesson to those who have defected from the party.
"We are prepared for bypolls, in two days we will be declaring the candidates.
In all the fifteen constituencies we will contest separately," Siddaramaiah said.
Speaking to reporters in Hubballi, he said, "We will win all the fifteen seats, because public opinion is that those who have defected from the party have to be defeated.
People will never tolerate defection, so people this time will vote for Congress candidates."
By-elections to constituencies represented by 15 out of 17 disqualified former Congress-JD(S) legislators will be held on October 21 and results will be declared on October 24.
Among 15 constituencies that will go for polls, 12 were represented by Congress and 3 by JD(S).
Absence and resignation of 17 Congress-JD(S) MLAs during the trust vote had led to the collapse of the H D Kumaraswamy headed coalition government in July, and helped BJP to come to power.
After examining the petition moved by leadership of both parties, the then assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar had disqualified 17 Congress and JD(S) MLAs and one independent under the anti-defection law, which they have challenged in the Supreme Court.
A bench of Justices N V Ramana, Sanjiv Khanna and Krishna Murari had on Monday said it would hear the pleas of disqualified MLAs on September 25.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission told the Supreme Court on Monday that former Karnataka Speaker's order disqualifying 17 MLAs from the Assembly cannot deprive them of their right to contest the upcoming by-polls for 15 constituencies in the state.
The then Speaker Ramesh Kumar had ruled that those disqualified, cease to be MLAs with immediate effect till the expiry of the 15th assembly (in 2023).
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
11 drug peddlers arrested in Jammu, Samba and Udhampur
Jammu (PTI): Eleven drug peddlers were arrested along with contraband substance at different places in Jammu, Samba and Udhampur districts of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, police said.
Keshav Sahu and Pardesi Ram, both residents of Chhattisgarh, were nabbed along with two kilograms of Ganja in Gharota area of Jammu, a police spokesperson said.
He said Billu Sharma, Tarun Kumar Patel, and Dinesh Kumar Chauhan were apprehended after 10 kgs of Ganja was recovered from their possession during patrolling in Sandwan Border Police Post area of Domana in Jammu.
A police team intercepted a car at a checkpoint in Vijaypur area of Samba, leading to the recovery of 16.61 grams of heroin from its occupants -- Sanjeev Kumar and Malkeet Kour -- who were immediately arrested, the spokesperson said.
In another incident, he said another drug peddler identified as Umar Ishaq of Doda was arrested along with 3.92 grams of heroin during checking of vehicles at Nud along Samba-Mansar road.
He said an inter-district drug peddler identified as Aqib Ashraf, a resident of Anantnag, was arrested after 21.97 grams of heroin was seized from his car at Majalta in Udhampur district.
Irfan and Waseem, both residents of Udhampur, were apprehended along with 10.99 grams of heroin from Roun Domail area, the spokesperson said.
He said all the arrested peddlers were booked under separate cases of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
