K'taka bypolls: Bagalkot records 43.75 per cent turnout till 1 pm, 37.17 pc in Davanagere South
Bengaluru (PTI): At least 43.75 per cent of voters in Karnataka's Bagalkot, where polling for a by-election is underway, exercised their franchise by 1 pm on Thursday.
Davanagere South recorded a turnout of 37.17 per cent, the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office said.
The bypolls were necessitated due to the demise of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti (Bagalkot) and Shamanur Shivashankarappa (Davanagere South).
While the ruling Congress faces the challenge of retaining both seats, the BJP is aiming to wrest them and deliver a setback to its rival, which is currently witnessing an "internal power struggle" over leadership.
A total of over 2.59 lakh eligible voters are expected to cast their votes at around 319 polling stations in Bagalkot, where nine candidates are in the fray.
In Davanagere South, over 2.31 lakh eligible voters are expected to vote across 284 polling stations, with 25 candidates contesting.
The BJP has fielded former MLA and 2023 defeated candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath from Bagalkot, and a fresh face, Srinivas T Dasakariyappa, from Davanagere South.
The Congress has given tickets to family members of the late legislators in both constituencies. Bagalkot candidate Umesh Meti is the son of H Y Meti, while Samarth Mallikarjun from Davanagere South is the grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
Samarth's father, S S Mallikarjun, is a minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet and in charge of Davanagere district, while his mother, Prabha Mallikarjun, is a Member of Parliament from the region.
The BJP is looking to make gains in the bypolls and energise its cadre ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections. For the Congress, retaining both seats is crucial, as a loss could be seen as a negative verdict on the performance of the Siddaramaiah-led government.
In the 2023 Assembly elections, H Y Meti defeated BJP's Charantimath by a margin of 5,878 votes in Bagalkot, while Shivashankarappa defeated BJP's B G Ajay Kumar by 27,888 votes in Davanagere South.
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BJP kept up its tradition of giving power to corrupt, says Raut on WB CM; saffron party hits back
Mumbai (PTI): With Suvendu Adhikari taking oath as West Bengal Chief Minister, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday hit out at the BJP, alleging that the saffron party kept up its tradition of giving power to corrupt people.
The BJP, however, hit back at the Sena (UBT) MP, saying that while allegations against Adhikari have not been proven, Raut himself had been to jail in connection with a case.
Talking to reporters, Raut said that in a sting operation in 2020, five Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs, including Adhikari, were seen accepting money.
"After that, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided Adhikari (who was then with the TMC), following which he joined the BJP and now he is the CM," Raut said.
The stain on Adhikari is yet to be washed, Raut said.
"The BJP has kept up its tradition of giving power to corrupt people. It has to be lauded for this consistency," Raut said.
Adhikari on Saturday took oath as West Bengal's first BJP chief minister, marking a dramatic saffron turn in the state's political history.
The BJP secured 207 seats in the 294-member assembly in the recently concluded elections, ending the Trinamool Congress' 15-year rule and scripting its most significant electoral breakthrough in eastern India.
Reacting to the Sena (UB) leader's allegations, BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban said that while charges against Adhikari have not been proven, Raut has already spent time in jail.
"Suvendu Adhikari has not been found guilty, but Sanjay Raut has been to jail," he said.
Raut was arrested by the ED in August 2022 in connection with a money laundering case linked to the Mumbai Patra Chawl redevelopment project. He spent over three months in jail before being granted bail by a special court.
Ban also accused the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of indulging in corruption during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The BJP leader said cracks in the INDIA bloc were visible with the developments in Tamil Nadu involving the DMK and the Congress.
"Uddhav Thackeray should also be cautious as Congress will stab him as well in the back," he added.
In Tamil Nadu, after the Congress decided to ally with the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form a government, the DMK has accused the grand old party of "backstabbing" the alliance at a crucial moment.
