DK Shivakumar and his brother had planned to field Darshan in Channapatna bypoll, claims BJP leader
Ramanagara (Karnataka), Jun 14: Karnataka BJP leader C P Yogeshwar on Friday claimed that Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and his brother and former MP D K Suresh had planned to field, Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, who has been arrested in connection with a murder case, as Congress candidate in the upcoming Channapatna Assembly bypoll.
Channapatna bypoll is necessitated as the segment fell vacant following the election of its representative -- JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy -- to Lok Sabha.
The election schedule for this seat is yet to be announced by the Election Commission.
"Their surprise candidate is behind bars now, I know who their surprise candidate is. Whom they wanted to field is caught in a murder case and is behind bars. Let the surprise candidate or anyone come, both parties (BJP and JD(S)) are ready for polls," the MLC, a former Minister, told reporters in response to a question on Suresh's recent statement about fielding a surprise candidate.
ALSO READ: D K Shivakumar rubbishes reports of pressure on Govt to favour actor Darshan in murder case
"The former MP (Suresh) was speaking about a surprise candidate. The person who is now caught in a murder case, they wanted that person as their surprise candidate, but it is not possible now. Maybe now they might look for another surprise candidate, let's see," he said.
Without mentioning Darshan's name, he said: "he is a film star who has campaigned more for Congress. In the days to come they wanted to induct him in the Congress and the DK brothers (Shivakumar and Suresh) had planned to face the election through him."
Not wanting to comment on the Darshan case, Yogeshwar, who himself acted in a couple of films said, "He was interested to come to politics, probably he wanted to come to public life. It is a pity. there is a tragedy."
Yageshwar is said to be one of the probable candidates for Channapatna bypolls from BJP-JD(S) alliance.
Darshan had campaigned in favour of Congress' Venkataramane Gowda (also known as Star Chandru), who was defeated by Kumaraswamy in the recently held Lok Sabha polls in Mandya.
Darshan, popularly known as "Challenging Star", and his associates were arrested on Tuesday for the murder of 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor.
Renukaswamy, a resident of district headquarters town of Chitradurga, allegedly commented on the social media account of Pavithra Gowda, a friend of Darshan and small-time actress, accusing her of creating a rift between the actor and his wife. He also allegedly used "indecent language" and posted offensive messages, according to police sources.
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NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore set to return back to earth; details here
Washington DC: NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were originally supposed to spend just 10 days at the International Space Station (ISS), are finally set to return to Earth after nearly 10 months in space, reported NDTV.
The two astronauts, who have been stranded at the ISS since June 2024, will be coming back aboard SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, expected to land as early as March 16, according to NASA officials.
Williams and Wilmore launched on June 5, 2024, aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. However, technical problems with the spacecraft’s thrusters caused difficulties during docking.
After months of investigation, NASA and Boeing decided that Starliner was not safe enough to bring them back. The spacecraft returned to Earth without the crew in September, leaving the astronauts waiting for an alternative ride home.
NASA later arranged for SpaceX to bring them back on the return trip of Crew-9. This mission was originally launched in September with only two members, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, leaving room for Williams and Wilmore.
Crew-9 was initially scheduled to return in February after completing its six-month mission, but the plan was delayed due to scheduling changes. Now, NASA has confirmed the launch of Crew-10, which will replace Crew-9 at the ISS.
Crew-10 is set to launch on March 12 from Kennedy Space Center, carrying astronauts Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi, and Kirill Peskov. Because of delays in building a new Crew Dragon spacecraft, they will be flying on the Endurance capsule instead.
If everything goes as planned, Crew-9 will leave the ISS on March 16, after a two-day transition period on March 14 and 15. However, if Crew-10’s launch is delayed, Crew-9’s return will also be pushed back. Backup launch dates for Crew-10 are available on March 13 and 14, which could shift Crew-9’s return to March 17 or 18.
NASA officials will continue to monitor the schedule and make adjustments as needed to ensure a safe return for Williams and Wilmore.
