Bengaluru(PTI): Voting is underway in the biennial election to the Karnataka Legislative Council from two graduates' and an equal number of teachers' constituencies on Monday, which is witnessing an intense contest.

The polling which began at 8 AM will go on till 5 PM, poll officials said. A total of 49 candidates are in the fray for the polls, including four women.

The ruling BJP and the principal opposition Congress have fielded one candidate each in all the four constituencies: North-West Graduates', South Graduates', North-West Teachers', and West Teachers'.

While the JD(S) has candidates in the fray in three constituencies other than the North-West Graduates' constituency, the remaining candidates are all either independents or from unrecognised parties.

A total of 2,84,922 voters are expected to cast their votes in about 607 polling stations in the elections to four MLC seats. Counting of votes will take place on June 15.

The elections to the four seats of the Upper House of Karnataka Legislature have been necessitated as the term of BJP's Nirani Hanamant Rudrappa (N-W Graduates') and JD(S)' K T Srikante Gowda (S-Graduates'), BJP's Arun Shahpur (N-W Teachers') and JD(S)' Basavaraj Horatti (W-Teachers') are coming to an end on July 4.

Horatti, who was Chairman of Legislative Council until recently, had resigned from the post to join the BJP, and is now the ruling party's candidate for West Teachers' constituency, seeking a record eighth successive term. He is pitted against Basavaraj Gurikar and Shrishail Gadadinni from the Congress and JD(S) respectively.

For N-W Teachers' constituency, the battle is between Arun Shahpur of BJP, who is seeking re-election against former Congress MLA and MP Prakash Hukkeri and Chandrashekhar Esappa Loni of JD(S); while for the South Graduates' constituency, former MLC M V Ravishankar of the BJP is taking on Madhu G Madegowda of Congress and H K Ramu of JD(S).

Of the four constituencies, only N-W Graduates seat is likely to see a direct fight between Nirani Hanamant Rudrappa of BJP, who is seeking re-election and Congress' Sunil Annappa Sank, as JD(S) has not fielded any candidate from the seat.

There are several candidates from unrecognised parties and independents in the fray in all the four constituencies.

The outcome of this poll is crucial for the ruling BJP, to maintain its majority in the 75-member upper house, that it recently gained, following the unopposed election of four of its candidates during the biennial polls for seven MLC seats in the state elected by MLAs, last month.

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London (PTI): Leading NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul passed away in London on Thursday evening, family sources said. He was 94.

Lord Paul, founder of UK-based Caparo Group of industries, had been taken ill and hospitalised recently, where he passed away surrounded by members of his family.

The House of Lords peer was born in Jalandhar and relocated to the UK in the 1960s in pursuit of treatment for his little daughter Ambika’s cancer.

After she passed away aged four years old, he set up the Ambika Paul Foundation as a charitable trust that went on to donate millions to promote the wellbeing of children and young people all over the world through education and health initiatives.

“The London Zoo is where she was always the happiest,” recalled Lord Paul last month, during the annual commemoration he hosted at the Ambika Paul Children’s Zoo in London – one of the major beneficiaries of the foundation.

After he lost his son Angad Paul in 2015 and his wife Aruna in 2022, he went on to undertake similar philanthropic endeavours in their memory.

“This hall is a tribute to my wonderful wife whom I miss very much; we never had an argument during our 65 years of marriage,” said Lord Paul, when he inaugurated the Lady Aruna Swraj Paul Hall at the historic Indian Gymkhana Club in London in February 2023.

A regular in the annual ‘Sunday Times Rich List’, this year he was ranked 81st with an estimated wealth of GBP 2 billion, largely derived from the steel and engineering multinational Caparo Group.

Headquartered in London, Caparo operates internationally from over 40 sites, with operations based in the UK, North America, India, and the Middle East. His son, Akash Paul, is Chairman of Caparo India and Director of the Caparo Group.

Last year, in his capacity as the Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton, Lord Paul awarded an honorary doctorate to Akash Paul for services to business administration.

“Perhaps, I am the only graduate to get a degree from his own father, independently approved by the University Board, of course, I may add,” said Akash Paul, who was accompanied by wife Nisha and son Arush at the ceremony held at the London Zoo.

“My son has worked alongside me at Caparo since 1982. Akash was appointed CEO of Caparo Group in 1992. During this time, he furthered Caparo’s growth strategy in UK, Europe, USA and India, as well as expanding capacity and increasing profitability of the companies in the United Kingdom and was president, Caparo Automotive Espana, Spain and Executive Board, Bull Moose Tube, USA,” said Lord Paul, who had served as Chancellor of Wolverhampton University for over 26 years.

An active member of the Indian diaspora in the UK, Swraj Paul maintained his daily routine of attending the House of Lords despite his frailty in recent months.

"We pray for the departed soul. May the noble Lord rest in peace," said Lord Rami Ranger, his colleague in the Upper House of Parliament.