Deputy CM Shivakumar will become CM on Jan 6: Cong MLA
Ramanagara (PTI): A ruling Congress MLA, H A Iqbal Hussain, on Saturday predicted that Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar will become Chief Minister on January 6.
He said the post, presently occupied by Siddaramaiah, should be vacated for Shivakumar. Shivakumar should be given a chance to become chief minister, the Ramanagara MLA told reporters.
"There is a 99 per cent chance that he becomes chief minister on January 6," Hussain, who is a staunch supporter of Shivakumar, said.
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When asked what significance the date has, he said, "I don't know. It's just a random number. Everybody is saying this. It can either be January 6 or 9. These are the two dates."
Hussain has been demanding that Shivakumar should be made the chief minister. On Friday, he had made his wish public.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Railways and a BJP MP, V Somanna, said that he is supporting Home Minister G Parameshwara for the CM post.
"Getting power is luck. I never dreamt that Parameshwara would remain just as the Home minister. It is our wish to see him as CM. Not just me but the people of Tumakuru have this desire to see him as the CM," Somanna said at a programme in Tumakuru.
When someone from the audience asked about D K Shivakumar, who is a strong contender for the post, Somanna said, "Leave it. That's secondary. What Shivakumar wants to become depends on his luck. Conduct is even bigger than luck."
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Mamata blames EC for 'failing to protect' judicial officers gheraoed over voter name deletion
Sagardighi (WB) (PTI): Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday blamed the Election Commission for "failing to protect" judicial officers engaged in the SIR exercise in West Bengal's Malda district.
Seven judicial officers engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) were rescued by security forces after protesters gheraoed them for several hours on Wednesday over the deletion of names from the electoral rolls.
"I condemn the Election Commission for failing to protect the judicial officers," Banerjee said, addressing an election rally here in Murshidabad district.
Claiming that the EC posted its own officers in civil and police administration after announcement of assembly polls in the state, Banerjee accused the poll body of having "totally failed to control law and order".
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Several officers, including the state's chief secretary, home secretary and director general of police (DGP), were replaced in West Bengal soon after the assembly polls were announced by the Election Commission.
"All my powers have been taken away, I have never seen such an Election Commission," the chief minister said.
Banerjee claimed that the BJP's game plan is to get the assembly polls cancelled in Bengal and to get President's Rule imposed.
"There are communal people in the BJP, and some communal people have also entered your ranks," Banerjee said, addressing the rally.
She claimed that such people flew in from Hyderabad with money from the BJP and are trying to divide the Muslim votes in the state.
