Former Karnataka ministers Umashree, M R Seetharam, and ex-IRS officer Sudham Das nominated as MLCs
Bengaluru, Aug 19: Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Saturday nominated former ministers Umashree, M R Seetharam, and former IRS officer H P Sudham Das, as Members of the Karnataka Legislative Council (MLC), with immediate effect.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had recently finalised the names and had recommended it to the Governor for approval. Four senior ministers had expressed reservations about the nominees and had written in protest to the Congress high command.
''In exercise of the powers vested in me by sub-clause (e) of clause (3) of Article 171 of the Constitution of India, I, Thawaarchand Gehlot, Governor of Karnataka, nominate the the following three persons to be the members of the Karnataka Legislative Council, with immediate effect,'' the official notification said. The appointments are to fill in vacancies created due to the retirement of Mohan Kumar Kondajji, P R Ramesh and C M Lingappa, after completion of their tenure.
ALSO READ: Man from Sikkim gets called 'Chinese' by miscreants in Bengaluru, mercilessly beaten up
According to official sources, Seetharam is being nominated under the educationist quota, Umashree for her contribution as an actor, and Das for social work.
Umashree, who is said to be Siddaramaiah's confidant, had missed a Congress ticket to contest Assembly polls from Terdal in Bagalkot district, while Seetharam is an educationist, his son Raksha Ramaiah is the national general secretary of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC).
Sudham Das, a former Enforcement Directorate (ED) official, had joined Congress, ahead of the Assembly polls. His name is believed to have been pushed by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar. Das's father H Puttadas was a former MLA from the erstwhile Sathanur constituency, which was earlier represented by Shivakumar.
Four senior ministers of the Siddaramaiah cabinet -- G Parameshwara, K H Muniyappa, H C Mahadevappa and R B Timmapur -- had recently written to the Congress high command, including AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge and former President Sonia Gandhi, expressing their discontent, especially to the nomination of Sudham Das.
The Ministers -- all four from the Dalit community -- have said that they were not taken into confidence by the leadership before finalising the names, and have raised questions regarding Sudham Das, his contribution to the party, and his nomination as MLC overlooking others.
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.
RCB pip CSK by two runs in last-ball IPL thriller
Bengaluru: Ayush Mhatre's 94 and Ravindra Jadeja's 77 not out went in vain as Royal Challengers Bengaluru pipped Chennai Super Kings by two runs in their IPL match here on Saturday.
Chasing 214, CSK scored 211 for 5 in their 20 overs.
Mhatre scored a 48-ball 94 with five sixes and nine fours while adding 114 runs with Jadeja (77 not out off 45 balls, 8x4s, 2x6s) for the second wicket.
For RCB, Lungi Ngidi returned with figures of 3/30.
Earlier, half-centuries from Jacob Bethell (55), Virat Kohli (62) and Romario Shepherd (53 not out) took RCB to 213 for five.
While Bethell and Kohli put on 97 runs for the opening wicket to set a platform, Shepherd blasted four fours and six sixes to make 53 not out off only 14 balls, recording the fastest fifty of the season and joint second-fastest overall.
For CSK, Matheesha Pathirana found his rhythm and lengths to return 3-0-36-3.
Brief scores:
RCB: 213 for 5 in 20 overs (Jacob Bethell 55, Virat Kohli 62, Romario Shepherd 53 not out; Matheesha Pathirana 3/36).
CSK: 211 for 5 in 20 overs (Ayush Mhatre 94, Ravindra Jadeja 77 not out; Lungi Ngidi 3/30).
