LS polls: BJP announces four more candidates for Karnataka
Bengaluru, Mar 24: Former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and former Karnataka Assembly Speaker Vishveshwar Hegde Kageri are among the four candidates in the BJP's second list for Karnataka on Sunday.
As expected, Shettar will contest from Belgaum (Belagavi) constituency, while Kageri will fight from Uttara Kannada district, replacing sitting MP Anantkumar Hegde.
According to the list released by the party in New Delhi, the other two candidates fielded by the party are former Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar from Chikkaballapura and Raja Amareshwara Naik from Raichur.
Shettar assumed different positions right from party state president, leader of the opposition, assembly speaker and chief minister of Karnataka.
A staunch RSS man, Shettar quit the BJP in 2023 when he was denied a ticket in the assembly election. In less than a year, he was back to his parent organisation.
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Shettar wanted to contest the Lok Sabha election from Haveri constituency but the party decided to field him from Belagavi.
Kageri's selection was also on the anvil as the party had made up its mind to find a suitable replacement to Anantkumar Hegde, who had caused much embarrassment to the party time and again.
Kageri, a six-time MLA, is well known for his balanced views, his strong footing in the RSS ideology and well-weighed words. He hails from Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district.
As Union Minister of State, Hedge, on December 26, 2017, said that the BJP came to power to change the Constitution triggering a nationwide uproar. Later, he had to apologise for his comment.
Recently, Hegde said the BJP's call for winning more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha was to bring amendments to the Constitution. This led to sharp reactions from various quarters.
A three-time MLA, Dr K Sudhakar is a well known name in Chikkaballapura. He lost the 2023 assembly election from Chikkaballapura assembly constituency.
He was previously with the Congress but resigned from the assembly in 2019, a year after winning the election.
A medical professional Sudhakar was among the 18 disqualified MLAs who later joined the BJP.
He successfully contested the 2019 bypoll and during COVID-19 pandemic he was given the health and medical education portfolio.
The BJP has so far announced candidates for 24 Lok Sabha constituencies.
The general elections in Karnataka will be held in two phases on April 26 and May 7 for 28 constituencies.
@BJP4India ಇಂದು ಬಿಡುಗಡೆ ಮಾಡಿರುವ ಲೋಕಸಭಾ ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿಗಳ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಪಟ್ಟಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅವಕಾಶ ಪಡೆದುಕೊಂಡ ಬೆಳಗಾವಿ, ಉತ್ತರ ಕನ್ನಡ, ರಾಯಚೂರು ಹಾಗೂ ಚಿಕ್ಕಬಳ್ಳಾಪುರ ಲೋಕಸಭಾ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರಗಳ ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಹೃತ್ಪೂರ್ವಕ ಅಭಿನಂದನೆಗಳು.
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Islamabad locked down ahead of planned protest by Imran Khan's party in Pakistan
Islamabad (PTI): Amid stringent measures put in place by the Pakistan government to thwart the protest march on Sunday, jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party is preparing to proceed with its highly anticipated march towards Islamabad.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has called on the public to join the march to "break the shackles of slavery."
The federal government has taken several steps to block the protest, including deploying heavy security forces, sealing key roads, and setting up barriers around the capital.
The Interior Ministry has emphasised that, in accordance with court orders, no protests or sit-ins will be allowed in Islamabad, and any attempts to disrupt public order will be met with legal action.
Khan, in a statement, urged the masses to unite for the protest, calling it a movement for freedom and justice.
The PTI leaders earlier on Sunday held a high-level meeting at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister’s House to finalise the strategy for the planned protest, Geo News reported.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has said that he will arrive in Swabi at 3pm to oversee the preparations for the planned protest and lead the party's march to Islamabad, the report added.
The chief minister also directed the party's activists intending to attend the march to reach Swabi by 3pm.
Ignoring calls by the government to postpone the protest – the second one in as many months – Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) declared to go ahead with its planned march to Islamabad coinciding with the arrival of a large Belarusian delegation even as the authorities issued a warning of a potential threat during the protest.
The PTI gave a call last week for a long march to Islamabad to press for three demands: the release of the incarcerated party founder and other leaders, against the alleged “stolen mandate” during February 8 elections and restoration of the judiciary by revoking the recent 26th amendment to the Constitution that granted legislators more power in appointing top judges.
Meanwhile, Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, has opted not to participate in the protest but will oversee the convoys from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister's House.
In preparation for the protest, Islamabad’s federal government has fortified security measures, sealing off several key roads and blocking routes leading to the Red Zone, where critical government buildings are located.
Containers have been placed across the city, including along the Srinagar Highway, GT Road, and the Expressway, limiting access to strategic areas like D-Chowk, Islamabad Airport, and the A-11 point at New Margalla Road.
Rangers, along with police and Frontier Constabulary (FC), have been deployed to monitor the area. The federal government has also warned against any unlawful protests, stating that no one will be permitted to hold a demonstration in violation of judicial orders, with legal action promised against any violators.
Also, Pakistan Railways has suspended all train services between Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar in light of the ongoing PTI protest, the Express Tribune reported.
According to railway authorities, services between Peshawar and Rawalpindi, Lahore and Rawalpindi, as well as between Multan and Faisalabad to Rawalpindi, have been halted immediately.
Additionally, all 25 train bookings for Sunday, November 24, have been cancelled, and passengers will receive immediate refunds for their tickets.
The suspension of services and the cancellation of bookings have impacted daily commuters and travellers, as Pakistan Railways responds to the security situation surrounding the ongoing protests.
Section 144 – which prohibits gatherings of individuals – has been in effect in Islamabad since November 18. On the other hand, the Punjab government too has enforced Section 144 across the province from November 23 to November 25, banning protests, public gatherings, rallies, and sit-ins.
Despite the heightened security and restrictions, the PTI has remained persistent about proceeding with its protest march and subsequent sit-in to press for its demands.
Additionally, internet and mobile services have been partially suspended in Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab as a precaution.
Users in Islamabad are facing partial disruptions in internet services at various locations, while it remains unhindered in neighbouring Rawalpindi.
Meanwhile, mobile services also remain fully operational in Rawalpindi.
Public transport, including metro bus services in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, has been halted, and all bus terminals at Faizabad, linking the twin cities, have been barricaded.
Khan, 72, has been implicated in dozens of cases since his government was dismissed through a no-confidence motion in 2022. He has been in Adiala Jail at Rawalpindi since last year facing, according to his party, over 200 cases; got bail in some of them, convicted in some others, and hearings going on for some more.
Khan's party won the largest number of seats in the February general elections despite contesting as independents as the party was denied an election symbol and the PTI chief has already alleged that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and its coalition partners, including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had “stolen the mandate” to grab power at the federal level.
Relations between the PTI and the PML-N-led coalition government -already tense since Khan’s ouster in 2022 - have strained even more in recent times.
