Karnataka: Counting for bypolls to one LS, 2 assembly segments tomorrow
Bengaluru, May 1: Political parties in Karnataka are keenly awaiting the outcome of the bypolls to one Lok Sabha seat and two assembly segments, counting for which will get underway on Sunday.
The voting took place for Belgaum Lok Sabha and Maski and Basavakalyan assembly constituencies on April 17.
There were 30 candidates in the fray -- 10 in Belgaum, 12 in Basavakalyan and eight in Maski.
The bypolls to Belgaum and Basavakalyan took place following the demise of the sitting public representatives Suresh Angadi (BJP) and B Narayan Rao (Congress) due to COVID, while Maski seat fell vacant due to the disqualification of Congress MLA Prathapagouda Patil.
Patil was among Congress MLAs who had resigned from the Assembly in 2019, was disqualified and later joined the BJP later to contest the bypoll on the party ticket.
The contest in Belgaum and Maski is mainly between Congress and the BJP.
In Belgaum, the BJP had fielded Late Suresh Angadi's wife Mangala Suresh Angadi against Congress Karnataka working president Satish Jarkiholi, the Yamkanmardi MLA.
In Maski, BJP's Pratapagouda Patil was in a direct fight against Basanagouda Turvihal of Congress.
JD(S) contested only in Basavakalyan, fielding Syed Yasrab Ali Quadri, while the Congress nominee was Rao's wife Mallamma and Sharanu Salagar was chosen by the BJP.
The victory or defeat will not have any bearing on the stability of the BJP government which has a majority with 118 seats (excluding speaker) in the house of 224 members.
A win will, however, increase Yediyurappa's hold in the party, as well as the government and silence his critics within the party, who want him to be removed.
If the Congress wins the bypolls, it will give ammunition to target the government on the issue of 'failure' to provide good governance and check corruption.
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Badminton coach arrested for raping 16-year-old girl in Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Apr 07 (PTI): A badminton coach was arrested for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl who was taking training from him, police said on Monday.
The matter came to light after the girl's grandmother found that the minor had sent some of her nude pictures from her (grandmother's) phone to an unknown number and she immediately alerted her parents, they said.
When confronted by her mother, the girl revealed that the coach had sexually abused her on multiple occasions under the guise of giving her additional training sessions and warned her against disclosing about it to anyone, police said.
According to the police, the victim's mother in a complaint stated that their daughter enrolled for badminton coaching at a sports centre here two years ago. The coach allegedly sexually abused and harassed her on multiple occasions. He even took her to his house where he sexually assaulted her.
After her class 10 exam, she went to her grandmother's house and that on March 30 she sent her nude photos from her grandmother's mobile phone to the coach on his insistence, the complainant alleged.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered against the coach, a native of Tamil Nadu, under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and he was arrested in the case on Thursday, a senior police officer said.
During interrogation, the accused confessed that he had sexually abused the girl on multiple occasions and that he had taken her nude photos which were also found on his phone. Nude photos of other girls were also found on his phone, the officer said.
