Karnataka bypolls: 37 candidates file nominations for two seats
Bengaluru, Oct 8: A total of 37 candidates have filed 57 nominations on Friday, the last day to do so, for Sindagi and Hangal assembly constituencies that will go for by-elections on October 30, poll officials said.
While 8 candidates from Sindagi have filed 12 nominations, 45 nominations have been received from 29 candidates in Hangal.
Out of total 37, two candidates each from Sindagi and Hangal are women.
While scrutiny of nominations will take place on October 11, the last day for withdrawal of papers is on October 13. Counting of votes will take place on November 2.
The by-elections have been necessitated as the seats fell vacant following the death of Sindgi JD(S) legislator M C Managuli and BJP's C M Udasi from Hangal.
While Ramesh Bhusanur, who came second behind Managuli in 2018 polls, is the BJP candidate from Sindagi, Shivaraj Sajjanar is its candidate from Hangal constituency.
Congress has named Managuli's son Ashok Managuli, who has joined the party, as its candidate from Sindgi, while former MLC Srinivas Mane is its candidate from Hangal.
JD(S), which was the first to announce its candidates, has fielded 33-year-old post graduate Naziya Shakeel Ahmed Angadi from Sindagi and 35-year-old B.E, M.Tech (CSE) graduate Niyaz Shaikh from Hangal.
Congress leaders including Siddaramaiah have alleged that JD(S) deliberately fielded minority candidates for the Hangal and Sindagi by-elections to help the BJP, resulting in war of words between both parties.
This is the first electoral challenge for Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai after taking charge. Winning Hangal is even more important for him as it is the neighbouring constituency to his Shiggaon assembly segment.
On the last day of filing nominations, all the three political parties claimed they will win with a huge margin.
State Congress Chief D K Shivakumar, speaking to reporters in Sindagi, expressed confidence that the party will win with a margin of minimum 25,000 votes.
JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, defending his party's decision to field Muslim candidates from both seats said the candidates are educated, and accused the Congress of playing "low level politics" by alleging that the regional party was trying to help BJP by fielding minority community candidates.
BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel claimed his party will win with a huge margin in both Sindagi and Hangal, and teams have been formed to ensure its victory.
"All the leaders are together fighting this election unitedly," he said in Hangal.
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.
'I am being framed', claims convict Sanjay Roy in court ahead of sentencing in RG Kar case
Kolkata (PTI): Sanjay Roy, convicted of the rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, on Monday claimed in a court here that he was innocent and had been "wrongly held guilty".
Roy was on Saturday held guilty of sexually assaulting the doctor and throttling her to death in August last year.
"I am being framed and have not committed any crime. I have not done anything, and still, I have been held guilty," Roy told the court ahead of sentencing in the case.
"I was beaten up in the prison and was forced to sign papers," he added.
Roy was convicted by Judge Anirban Das of the Additional District and Sessions Court, Sealdah under Sections 64, 66, and 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on Saturday.
During the proceedings, the CBI lawyer pleaded for the highest penalty for the convict, calling the crime "rarest of the rare".
"We pray for the highest penalty to maintain people's faith in society," the agency's counsel told the court.
The defence lawyer of Roy argued that the prosecution must provide evidence, which can prove that there is no possibility of reform of the convict.
The defence lawyer prayed for “an alternative punishment other than the death penalty” to allow his reformation.
The lawyer representing the parents of the deceased doctor prayed for the maximum punishment, arguing that Roy, being a civic volunteer, was entrusted with the security of the hospital, but had himself committed the heinous crime on the victim he was supposed to protect.
The hearing of the convict's self-defence and other stakeholders concluded at around 1 pm, and the Judge stated that the sentence would be pronounced at 2:45 pm.
