Nikhil Kumaraswamy to contest 2023 polls from JD(S) bastion Ramanagara
Ramanagara (K'taka), Dec 16: JD(S) leadership on Saturday named former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's son and party's youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy as candidate from its bastion of Ramanagara constituency, for the 2023 Assembly polls.
Anitha Kumaraswamy, who is the wife of Kumaraswamy, currently represents Ramanagara segment as MLA.
The announcement makes JD(S) the first political party in the State to formally name a candidate for the polls, which is likely by April-May.
Kumaraswamy, earlier in July, had said Nikhil would not be contesting the Assembly polls, noting that the 32-year-old actor-turned politician, who is the grandson of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, would instead work for the party's victory in a number of other constituencies.
At the regional party's 'Pancha Ratna Yatre' (Statewide tour) led by Kumaraswamy in Ramanagara, Anitha announced Nikhil as her successor in the constituency, and said she would give up her constituency for Nikhil.
"Nikhil will be contesting from Ramanagara. I trust the people of this constituency that they would extend their love and support to him," she said.
Requesting voters to support Nikhil the same way they had accepted Deve Gowda, Kumaraswamy and herself, Anitha further said, "There were people trying to spread wrong messages. To put an end to all that, I have announced Nikhil's candidature," she said.
Kumaraswamy, who represents neighbouring Channapatna segment , speaking on the occasion, said Anitha had not told him about her plan to announce Nikhil's candidature.
"I'm placing Nikhil in your (voters') lap. You are like his parents now. It is up to him to gain your confidence as a son. At no cost should you (voters) fall prey to any politics of conspiracy. Empowering him will empower you," he said.
Deve Gowda had represented Ramanagara Assembly segment in 1994, then Kumaraswamy had won the seat in 2004, 2008, 2013 and 2018.
In the by-election to Ramanagara in November 2018, as it fell vacant after Kumaraswamy gave up the seat preferring Chennapatna, the other seat he had won in the assembly polls that year, Anitha Kumaraswamy had registered victory.
Earlier today, Kumaraswamy had indicated the possibility of Nikhil fighting the election, stating that party workers would decide whether Anitha or Nikhil Kumaraswamy should be the candidate from Ramanagara.
Nikhil had lost the 2019 Lok Sabha election from another party bastion of Mandya to BJP-backed independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh, an actor-turned politician. JD(S) had fought the previous Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the Congress, as both parties then ran a coalition government, with Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister.
JD(S) often faces criticism for "dynasty politics", with it even being called a "family party", as at least eight members from party patriarch Deve Gowda's immediate family are into politics.
The party aims to independently form a government this time, and has set a target of winning 123 out of a total 224 seats in the upcoming Assembly polls.
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Delhi govt departments distance themselves from AAP's promised schemes
Asks people not to share personal details
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi government's Women and Child Development and Health departments issued public notices on Wednesday distancing themselves from the ruling AAP's promised schemes of providing Rs 2,100 to women and free treatment for the elderly, triggering a fresh row ahead of assembly polls.
The two departments also cautioned the people against providing personal details to anyone on the pretext of registration for "non-existent" schemes, saying any private individual or political party collecting such physical forms or information is "fraudulent and without any authority".
The development, which came days after AAP leaders launched the exercise of registering people for the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojana and Sanjeevani Yojana with much fanfare, left the AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal furious.
Kejriwal, who is leading the registration drive, alleged that the BJP was rattled by the two schemes and claimed that Chief Minister Atishi could be arrested in a "fake" case in the coming days.
"They are completely rattled with Mahila Samman Yojna and Sanjeevani Yojna. They have hatched a plan to come up with a fake case and arrest Chief Minister Atishi in the next few days," he said on X.
He also claimed that before Atishi's arrest, raids would be conducted against senior AAP leaders.
BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj had on Tuesday claimed that she spoke to the health secretary of the Delhi government and was informed that there was no "Sanjeevani Yojna" in existence.
Both the schemes were announced by Kejriwal ahead of Assembly polls in February next year and AAP had started registrations for the schemes in campaign mode. Its leaders are confident that the measure will help woo voters as many believe that such schemes were a factor in the ruling parties retaining power in several state elections.
"It has been brought to the notice of the Department of Women and Child Development, through media reports and social media posts, that a political party is claiming to disburse Rs 2100 per month under Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana to women in Delhi.
"It is clarified that no such scheme has been notified by the Government of Delhi," said the public notice by the department.
If and when the scheme begins, the department will launch a digital portal for eligible individuals to submit their applications online as per the approved guidelines, it said.
Since no such scheme exists, the question of physical forms for registration under this non-existent scheme does not arise, read the notice.
"Any private individual/ political party collecting such physical forms/applications or collecting information from applicants under the name of the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana is fraudulent and without any authority," it said.
The notice cautioned the people that providing personal details and sensitive information like PAN account numbers, phone numbers or Voter ID, in the name of the scheme may lead to crime including cyber and banking frauds.
It advised people not to entertain the "misleading" promise of non- non-existent scheme and to exercise caution and asked them not to provide personal details to unauthorised persons.
The Mahila Samman Yojna was announced by the AAP government in the budget 2024-25 to provide Rs 1000 per month to all eligible women aged above 18 in Delhi. Kejriwal recently promised to raise the amount to Rs 2100 per woman if AAP returned to power.
The Health and Family Department public notice similarly cautioned the people about "Sanjeevani Yojna" announced by the AAP supremo for free treatment of senior citizens above 60 years at government and private hospitals.
It has also come to the notice of the department that a registration drive to get enrolled under this scheme by filling up physical forms has also been started by some political functionaries and volunteers who are visiting door to door to collect information from elderly citizens and handing over to them some sort of "Health/Sanjeevani Scheme Card".
The notice said details of senior citizens like phone numbers, addresses, Aadhar and bank accounts were being sought for the registration and many of the elderly people have started visiting government hospitals and government offices to enquire about the scheme.
The notice said the Health and Family department does not have any supposed "Sanjeevani Scheme" in existence till date.
"Any private individual/political party collecting such physical forms/ applications or collecting information of applicants under the name of "Sanjeevani Yojna" is fraudulent and without any authority," read the notice clarifying the department has not authorised any health officials to collect personal details of the elderly.
