D K Shivakumar rules out contesting in Channapatna bypoll
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday ruled out contesting in the Channapatna bypoll.
He even wondered aloud why there would be bye-elections in Kanakapura assembly segment from where he is an MLA.
Two days ago, Shivakumar said, “A significant change in my political career happened from Channapatna. I have come to Anjaneya temple in Kengal to start a new chapter in my political career."
This gave rise to speculations that he was willing to contest from Channapatna assembly segment, which fell vacant after MLA H D Kumaraswamy won the Mandya Lok Sabha election.
BJP MLA and former minister S Suresh Kumar called the purported ‘bypoll in Kanakapura’ a ‘Tughlaq like decision’ and wastage of public money.
“Why will there be any bye-election in Kanakapura? I am an MLA from Kanakapura and the state president of my party (Congress). There is a responsibility on me. This is my region and I am a leader there,” Shivakumar told reporters on Friday.
“Me and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will lead the elections (in Channapatna),” he added.
Explaining further, Shivakumar said he has only asked people there to support him. “I am from that district (Ramanagara). I have asked the voters there to give us strength.... They will favour us if they trust us,” the DCM said.
Commenting on those who criticised him, Shivakumar said, “Those who are writing obituary of my political career should know that there is a bigger power behind me, which is people’s power.”
Earlier, BJP state President B Y Vijayendra said it was left to the Congress to decide who should contest from Channapatna. He, however, pointed out that D K Suresh who lost from Bengaluru Rural constituency as Congress candidate had thought that he was invincible.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Kumaraswamy, whose resignation as MLA is necessitating the Channapatna bypolls, said Shivakumar was showing affection for Channapatna now but had not visited the place in the past one-and-a-half years.
It’s been more than a year since Shivakumar became the deputy chief minister; the person who had never been to Channapatna all these days is showing his affection for that constituency and he is talking about it, he said.
“Who had stopped him from developing Channapatna till now? What was his brother’s (D K Suresh) contribution to Channapatna?” he asked.
On June 19, Shivakumar paid obeisance to Lord Hanuman and blew the bugle of the election campaign in Channapatna.
His statement that a new chapter in my political career would start from Channapatna made people speculate that he would contest from Channapatna.
It was perceived in the political circles that after winning from Channapatna, Shivakumar will resign from Kanakapura constituency creating a vacancy for his brother Suresh to contest and win the polls.
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Mumbai Metro lines 9 and 2B open for commuters
Mumbai (PTI): Commercial operations on the first phases of Mumbai Metro corridors 9 and 2B began on Wednesday morning, a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the mass-transit routes, officials said.
While the Metro 9 marks the first direct connectivity between a suburb in Mumbai and a part of Thane city in the metropolitan region, the Line 2B will provide the first metro connectivity on the Harbour Line in Mumbai.
The 5.6-km elevated Phase 1 stretch of Metro Line 9 comprises four stations -- Dahisar East, Pandurangwadi, Miragaon and Kashigaon. The 5.53-km Phase 1 of Metro Line 2B has five stations, including Deshbhakt N G Acharya Udyan (Diamond Garden), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk, Deonar, Mankhurd and Maharashtra Nagar–Mandale.
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According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Line 9 is expected to cut travel time between Mira-Bhayandar in Thane district and Mumbai to around 30 minutes from the current one to two hours. Built at Rs 6,607 crore, it will eventually provide seamless connectivity to south Mumbai through interlinking with other lines.
With the addition of the two new lines, Mumbai’s operational Metro network has expanded to six corridors, including Line 1 (Ghatkopar-Andheri-Versova), Line 2A (Andheri West-Dahisar East), Line 7 (Dahisar East-Andheri East) and the underground Line 3 (Colaba-Bandra Kurla Complex-SEEPZ).
As per MMRDA, the revised timetable for Line 2A and Line 7 came into effect on Wednesday, aimed at improving frequency, predictability and overall commuter experience.
It said that with the inauguration of Line 9, Metro Line 2A will now operate as a standalone corridor between Andheri West and Dahisar East, with services from 5.50 am till around 11 pm and a peak frequency of about six minutes.
The integrated Line 7-9 corridor (Gundavali to Kashigaon), spanning 19.79 km, will operate from 5.50 am to 11 pm, with a peak frequency of under six minutes and 276 services on weekdays.
Metro Line 2B (Phase 1) services commenced at 6 am and will run till around 10.30 pm at intervals of approximately nine-and-a-half minutes, operating 209 services daily, according to officials.
MMRDA said the integration of Line 7 with Line 9 enables direct connectivity from Andheri East to Mira-Bhayandar, while Lines 2A and 7 will function as separate corridors.
A seamless interchange facility at Dahisar station will allow passengers to switch between Lines 2A and 7 without exiting the “paid” (ticketed) area.
