Kharge's son-in-law, five ministers' children figure in Congress's 2nd list of Karnataka candidates
Bengaluru (PTI): AICC President M Mallikarjun Kharge's son-in-law and the children of five ministers figure in the second list of 17 candidates in Karnataka announced by the Congress on Thursday for the Lok Sabha elections.
Satish Jarkiholi's daughter Priyanka Jarkiholi (Chikkodi), Ramalinga Reddy's daughter Sowmya Reddy (Bangalore South), Shivanand Patil's daughter Samyukta S Patil (Bagalkot), Laxmi Hebbalkar's son Mrinal Ravindra Hebbalkar (Belgaum) and Eshwar Khandre's son Sagar Khandre (Bidar) will be contesting in the polls.
Mansoor Ali Khan, son of former Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha K Rahman Khan and Prabha Mallikarjun, wife of Minister S S Mallikarjun and daughter-in-law of veteran party leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa, are the party's nominees from Bangalore Central and Davangere, respectively.
ALSO READ: Kharge makes way for son-in-law on home turf, unlikely to contest LS polls
In Gulbarga (Kalaburagi), Kharge's son-in-law Radhakrishna Doddamani will be in the fray. Kharge had won the seat in the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections but lost in 2019.
Prof M V Rajeev Gowda, the Vice-Chairman of Karnataka State Policy and Planning Commission, will contest from Bangalore North.
The other candidates who figure in the second list are M Laxman (Mysore), Vinod Asooti (Dharwad), G Kumar Naik (Raichur), Padmaraj (Dakshina Kannada), Jayaprakash Hegde (Udupi-Chikmagalur), K Rajashekar Basavaraj Hitnal (Koppal), Anjali Nimbalkar (Uttara Kannada), and B N Chandrappa (Chitradurga).
The Congress released its first list of seven candidates in Karnataka on March 8.
The BJP swept the 2019 general elections in Karnataka, winning 25 out of the 28 seats in the state, while an independent candidate backed by the party also won. The Congress and JD(S), which fought the elections together, secured just one seat each.
The BJP announced candidates for 20 seats in the state last week.
Polling will be held in two phases in Karnataka on April 26 and May 7.
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Sonam Wangchuk justifies Ladakh agitation, says will join talks with Centre if needed
Kargil (PTI): Activist Sonam Wangchuk on Sunday defended the agitation for statehood and safeguards under the Sixth Schedule for Ladakh, and said he would not back out from joining talks with the government if the need for it arises.
Addressing a press conference, Wangchuk, who was released on March 14 after nearly six months of detention under the National Security Act, called for "open-minded and sincere" negotiations and striking a middle path.
He also expressed hope that the ongoing protests would lead to a positive and amicable solution.
"The demand for safeguards under the Sixth Schedule and statehood is based on democratic rights entailed in the Constitution and is completely legitimate. I have always maintained that for the last 5-6 years, we have been engaged in discussions with the government on these issues, yet no solution has emerged. This is because the other side seems to have adopted a rigid stance," Wangchuk told reporters here.
He stressed that the negotiations should be held with an open mind, in all sincerity.
"Neither side should insist 'we alone will win and you will lose'. What is needed is a middle path, a win-win approach. This is what I personally believe and have conveyed to many people, including the (agitating) leaders: the negotiations should move forward gradually," he said.
Wangchuk said they were ready to adopt such an approach, but it should not be one-sided.
He said the protesters have conveyed this thinking to fair-minded people across the country, and cautioned that if the upcoming talks once again result in their concerns being overlooked and only the other side's position prevails, it would prompt questions on why a more accommodative approach -- like that adopted by Ladakh's leaders -- is not being followed.
The government has not yet announced the date for the next round of talks.
The Ladakh-based activist expressed hope that the ongoing protests would lead to a positive and amicable resolution, enabling them to move forward and partake in the country's progress and nation-building.
Asked about charges under the National Security Act (NSA) that were levelled against him, he said, "If a person like me, who has always worked for the country -- whether in education, environment, or improving facilities for the armed forces -- can face such allegations, then what might not be said about others, not just in Ladakh but elsewhere as well?"
The activist said he was disturbed by a video related to his arrest that he came across recently, questioning how such claims could be made, especially as the contents "appeared" to be backed by evidence.
"If the allegations are true, I did not deserve to be free. But if they are false, they must be clearly refuted," Wangchuk said, cautioning against making sweeping accusations about Ladakh, which has been a pillar of India's defence, especially Kargil, whose people have supported the armed forces in every war and made significant sacrifices in the 1999 Kargil War.
Making such allegations will only create distance among people, he said, adding, "If mistakes are being made, they should be corrected."
Referring to the Centre's order revoking NSA charges against him, he said it is clearly stated that this step is being taken to create a conducive environment, to build trust, and to enable meaningful dialogue.
"So, we are waiting for things to move in that direction," he said.
On the protesters' next course of action, he said the leadership will look into the issue, but it is hoped that the time ahead will not be for anything else but celebration.
"If there is any absolute need, we will discuss and decide what steps should be taken," he said.
On the possibility of him joining the team holding dialogue with the home ministry, Wangchuk said, "Whatever I do, I do it out of necessity. Where I am not needed, and others could do it, I always prefer that they should take the lead. But if there is a need, I will not back down."
VIDEO | Ladakh: Activist Sonam Wangchuk says, "... We need open-minded dialogue with Centre to find a win-win or middle path solution..."
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 5, 2026
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/dv5TRAShcC) pic.twitter.com/BwWQGx66I1
