Mandya: Karnataka's Agriculture Minister and Mandya district-in-charge Minister, Cheluvarayaswamy, took a dig at senior JD(S) leaders, expressing irony over their apparent loss of autonomy in announcing candidates for the Hassan and Mandya Parliamentary constituencies.

Speaking to reporters during his visit to the residence of Congress party's Mandya candidate, Venkataramane Gowda (popularly known as Star Chandru), in Bandigowda on Wednesday, Cheluvarayaswamy remarked on the current political landscape.

Highlighting the perceived misstep of aligning with the BJP, Cheluvarayaswamy suggested that JD(S) leaders have begun to realize their error. He contrasted this with the respectful treatment extended to former Prime Minister Deve Gowda and former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy during the JD(S)-Congress alliance.

Further underscoring JD(S)'s purported dilemma, Cheluvarayaswamy pointed out the nomination of Dr. Manjunath, Devegowda's son-in-law, by the BJP in Bengaluru Rural, a move indicating a lack of confidence within JD(S). He also noted the sidelining of Vokkaliga leaders by the BJP in the old Mysuru region, exemplified by the denial of a ticket to senior leader Sadananda Gowda, the sitting MP.

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Expressing confidence in the Congress party's electoral prospects, Cheluvarayaswamy predicted victory in at least 20 seats, including Mandya, in the upcoming general elections. He highlighted the forthcoming nomination filing by their candidate Star Chandru on April 1st and attributed their optimism to the implementation of five guarantees and eight months of developmental initiatives undertaken by the Congress government in the state.

During the occasion, Congress party Mandya candidate Venkataramane Gowda (Star Chandru) was joined by several MLAs, including AB Ramesh Bandissidde Gowda, PM Narendra Swamy, P. Ravikumar Ganiga, KM Udaya, Dinesh Gooli Gowda, Marithibbe Gowda, as well as former MLAs KB Chandrasekhar, B. Prakash, HB Ramu, District Congress President CD Gangadhar, and other party leaders.

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New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Thursday said the high court would decide whether the elected gram panchayat members, whose five-year tenure was over in Manipur, were entitled to continue in their posts in the event of the appointment of an administrative committee or an administrator.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh said it would like to have the benefit of the view of the high court in the matter and set a three-month time frame to adjudicate the legal question.

"The question that falls for consideration in this case is that whether the elected member of the Gram Panchayat whose five-year tenure is over was entitled to continue as members of the gram panchayat in the event of appointment of administrative committee or administrator, as contemplated under Section 22 of the Manipur Panchayati Raj Act of 1994," the bench noted.

The Manipur government’s counsel said the state could not hold panchayat elections due to the unprecedented violence.

"Since, we would like to have the advantage of the opinion of the high court, we dispose of the special leave petition without expressing any opinion on merits, with the request to the chief justice of Manipur High Court to post the main case before a division bench at the earliest. We further request the division bench, before whom the matter is listed, to provide expeditious hearing with an endeavour to resolve the controversy within three months," the bench said.

The bench noted that provision of Manipur Panchayati Raj Act was amended to substitute the word "cease" with the word "continue" with respect to the tenure of the elected members of the gram panchayat.

The petitioners have challenged a high court order and submitted that since elections in gram panchayat could not be held in Manipur for various reasons, the previously elected members of the panchayat were entitled to continue as per the amended Section 22 (3) of 1994 Act.

Section 22 deals with the power of deputy commissioner to appoint an administrative committee or an administrator for a period of six months, which will then oversee the election.

Section 22 (3) of the law says once the administrative committee or an administrator is appointed by the deputy commissioner, the elected members of earlier gram panchayat shall cease to exist.

The top court said what has been challenged before it was an interlocutory order of the high court and the main petition in which the question of law that had been raised was still pending.

The original petitioners before the high court were elected representatives at the fifth general elections for gram panchayats and the zilla parishads who sought a direction to continue in the office beyond the period of five years as stipulated by law as elections were last held in 2017.

They sought to continue as panchayat members till the time the state election commission notified the election for the sixth general elections for gram panchayats and zilla parishads.

On February 29, last year, the high court in its interim order gave liberty to Manipur government to appoint an administrative committee for each gram panchayat and zilla parishad in accordance with law and the provision of the Act.