R Ashoka, Laxman Savadi and YSV Datta file nominations for Karnataka Assembly elections
Bengaluru, Apr 18: Karnataka Minister R Ashoka, who is taking on state Congress president D K Shivakumar in Kanakapura, former deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi who recently joined the Congress and JD(S)' YSV Datta, who recently rejoined the party, were among the prominent leaders, who filed their nominations on Tuesday, for the May 10 Assembly polls.
With only two days left for formally entering the fray, candidates from various political parties filed their papers by holding roadshows and going on a temple run along with a large number of their supporters, amidst drum beats, waving of party flags and shouting of slogans.
Ashoka, a prominent Vokkaliga face in the BJP, has been fielded against Shivakumar, the community's strong man from Congress in his home constituency of Kanakapura, as part of the ruling party's strategy to give a tough fight to opposition leaders in their turf.
Ashoka filed his nomination at Kanakapura in the presence of BJP national general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Arun Singh and Ramanagara district in-charge Minister C N Ashwath Narayan. They visited a temple and held a massive roadshow ahead of filing papers before the election returning officer.
"Amit Shah (Union Home Minister) is known as 'Chanakya' for his poll strategy, he is the one who has sent me to Kanakapura to contest. Earlier not even 50 people used to come for BJP here, but today if you see, thousands of people are here, it means there is a strong under current, using which I will honestly try to win here and bring in Modi rule in Kanakapura," Ashoka said.
Ashoka, who is also contesting from Padmanabhanagar constituency here, which he currently represents, filed his nomination from there on Monday.
Laxman Savadi, who recently quit BJP and joined Congress on being denied ticket from Athani, filed his papers from the segment after visiting a temple and holding a mega roadshow.
Expressing confidence of of him winning the polls with a huge margin, Savadi said Congress may be victorious in 14 out of 18 Assembly segments in Belagavi district.
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Considered a close confidant of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, Y S V Datta, who had quit JD(S) and joined Congress, but returned to the party recently, after being denied a ticket there, filed his nomination from Kadur.
Gowda, his son and former Minister H D Revanna, also grandson and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna accompanied Datta while filing his papers as JD(S) candidate.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai accompanied his senior cabinet colleagues Govind Karjol and Murugesh Nirani, as they filed their nominations from Mudhol and Bilgi segments, respectively. Both of them held massive roadshows ahead of filing papers.
Home Minister Araga Jnanendra filed his nomination from Thirthahalli, while his opponent Congress' Kimmane Rathnakar, a former Minister, too submitted his papers.
Former Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, who played an instrumental role in defection of 17 Congress and JD(S) MLAs in 2019 that led to the fall of coalition government and paved the way for BJP to come to power, filed his papers from Gokak on a BJP ticket.
Among others who filed nominations today include sitting MLAs- BJP's Suresh Kumar (Rajajinagar), Dr Bharath Shetty Y (Mangaluru North), Minister Byrathi Basavaraj (K R Puram), Congress' Laxmi Hebbalkar (Belagavi Rural), K Shadakshari (Tiptur), M Krishnappa (Vijayanagara), B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan (Chamrajpet), and JD(S) deputy leader in the Assembly Bandeppa Kashempur (Bidar South) and A Manjunath (Magadi).
Former Minister and MLA Arvind Limbavali's wife Manjula Arvind Limbavali, who had got the ticket for the Mahadevapura Constituency, last night, also filed her papers today.
ನಾಮಪತ್ರ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸುವ ಮುನ್ನ ಕಡೂರು ವಿಧಾನಸಭಾ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರದ ವಿವಿಧ ಗ್ರಾಮಗಳಿಗೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿದ ಸಂದರ್ಭ.#ಜನತಾಸರ್ಕಾರ #JanataDalSecular #kadur pic.twitter.com/282z6eCucA
— YSV Datta (@YSV_Datta) April 18, 2023
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Karnataka Assembly passes bill on Palace Grounds amid opposition protest
Bengaluru, Mar 6 (PTI): The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed the Bangalore Palace (Utilisation and Regulation of Land) Bill, reaffirming state ownership over 472 acres and 16 guntas of land here, amid protests by the opposition BJP.
During the discussion, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the state government would have to provide Rs 200 crore worth of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) for each acre of land, which means that for 15 acres, Rs 3,000 crore worth of TDR would be issued.
“If we accept it, then this 2-km stretch of road will become the costliest road in the world. If we accept it then how are we going to develop the city in later stages? How will you carry out development works?” asked Patil.
He also pointed out that this question was raised not only under the Congress government but also during the previous BJP regime.
However, the BJP-led cabinet has opposed the project.
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“Suppose we agree to it then, what will be the valuation of the 472 acres? It will be lakhs and lakhs of crores of rupees. Can we accept?” Patil wondered.
The Minister said the government had previously exercised its executive powers to issue an ordinance, which was approved by the Governor. Now the government is bringing a bill with two amendments.
“In this bill, we have made provisions either to develop or drop the road development work,” Patil explained.
However, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and BJP MLA Arvind Bellad opposed the move, alleging that the government was targetting Yaduveer Krishna Datta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the Mysuru royal family, and the BJP MP from Mysuru-Kodagu constituency out of political vendetta.
“We talk of 472 acres of Mysuru Maharaja but here there are many Maharajas who too own 400 acres, 500 acres and thousands of acres of land, which is known to everyone,” Bellad said.
He slammed the Congress government, saying political power should not be misused for personal vendetta.
“Why (the then Deputy Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah brought the law in 1996 pertaining to the Bangalore Palace? Why are you setting eyes on the Bangalore Palace?” he asked.
Vijayendra charged that Wadiyar won the election on BJP ticket so the state government realised that it should acquire it.
“This bill has been brought for political vengeance. We are not discussing whether Rs 3,000 crore is exorbitant or not but the moment Yaduveer became MP, the state government woke up. You should be ashamed. This house should not be used for political vendetta,” he said.
Intervening, Minister Priyank Kharge said Vijayendra should not have raised it because the intention behind building the road was noble.
According to him, the BJP too had the same plan when it was in power.
He sought to know whether thousands of crores of rupees be spent on a road which should have cost significantly less.
In response, BJP MLA B A Basavaraj (Byrathi) said issuing TDR will not be a burden on the state government and appealed to the ruling Congress to reconsider its stance.
Minister Ramalinga Reddy too explained that the Karnataka government acquired the entire land way back in 1996.
The Mysuru royal family went to the High Court, which gave ruling in favour of the state government. The royal family then approached the Supreme Court, where the case is still going on, the Minister pointed out.
“The final judgment is pending in the SC to decide whether the acquisition was right or wrong. If the SC says it’s the royal family’s property then let it be so. If the order is in the state government’s favour then we can take a decision. The bill is only about it,” Reddy explained.
Speaker U T Khader then called for a voice vote and the bill was passed by the Assembly amidst opposition BJP’s discontent.
