Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah to be felicitated by Maharashtra Congress, NCP on Sunday
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will be felicitated in Maharashtra by the state's Pradesh Congress Committee as well as ally NCP on Sunday, to mark the massive victory of the Congress in last month's Assembly elections.
According to the itinerary released by the Chief Minister's office, Siddaramaiah will fly from here to Kolhapur, from where he would drive to Sangli by road to attend a programme organised by the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee. This would be Siddaramaiah's maiden visit to Maharashtra after becoming the Chief Minister for the second time. He would then fly to Baramati -- on invitation of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar -- to attend a function on the birth anniversary of 18th century Maratha queen Ahilyadevi Holkar organised by Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Vikas Pratishthan, where he would also be felicitated, sources close to the Karnataka chief minister said.
Pawar wrote to Siddaramaiah on June 9 inviting him to Baramati -- the NCP leader's home turf in Pune district -- saying the people of Maharashtra would like to felicitate him. Pawar said the Karnataka Assembly elections have demonstrated the strength of "secular forces" and have again paved the way for a change in the political dynamics of the nation. "The reverberations of the elections have reached and permeated through Maharashtra and the people here are enthused to welcome and felicitate you in Maharashtra," Pawar, a Rajya Sabha member and former chief minister of Maharashtra, said in the letter.
According to Pawar, the Dhangar community, which has consistently supported him throughout his political career, has taken the initiative to invite and felicitate Siddaramaiah. Leaders of the community wished to felicitate Siddaramaiah on the occasion of Ahilyadevi Holkar's birth anniversary. "I do personally invite you on behalf of the community and the people of Maharashtra," Pawar added.
In the May 10 Karnataka elections, the Congress ousted the BJP from power, winning 135 seats in the 224-member Assembly. BJP got just 66 seats and the Janata Dal (Secular) headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda managed only 19.
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LSG beat KKR by 3 wickets
Kolkata (PTI): Lucknow Super Giants defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by three wickets in an Indian Premier League match here on Thursday.
Opting to bowl, LSG restricted KKR to 181 for four.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi (45 off 33 balls), skipper Ajinkya Rahane (41 off 24 balls), Rovman Powell (39 not out off 24 balls) and Cameron Green (32 not out off 24 balls) were the major contributors for the home side.
For LSG, Digvesh Singh Rathi (1/25) was the pick of the bowlers.
Chasing 182, LSG rode on Ayush Badoni's 34-ball 54 and Mukul Chooudhary's brilliant 27-ball 54 not out to cross the line in a last ball thriller.
For KKR, Anukul Roy (2/32) and Vaibhav Arora (2/38) were the main wicket-takers.
Brief Scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders: 181 for 4 in 20 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 45, Ajinkya Rahane 41; Digvesh Singh Rathi 1/25).
Lucknow Super Giants: 182 for 7 in 20 overs (Ayush Badoni 54, Mukul Choudhary 54 not out; Anukul Roy 2/32).
