Return Tumkur seat to Cong if Gowda is not contesting: Parameshwar urges Deve Gowda
Bengaluru, Mar 15: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara Friday said he has requested the JD(S) to return Tumkur seat to the Congress if former prime minister H D Deve Gowda is not contesting from the constituency.
The development comes amid simmering discontent within the Congress's local leadership over ceding of Tumkur seat to the alliance partner.
Parameshwara, who has held a series of meetings with the Congress and JD(S) leaders, however, said his party was fine if the latter fields Gowda from the seat.
The seat is held by the Congress's S P Muddahanumegowda.
"We have a sitting MP. In principle, during our screening committee meeting, we had made a resolution that all the 10 sitting MPs should be given (tickets). After that, during meetings between Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda, Tumkur was given to them," the deputy chief minister said.
Speaking to reporters here, Parameshwara said he had met Gowda and conveyed his request that the seat be given back to the Congress as it won't be right to deny a ticket to the Tumkur MP when all the other sitting lawmakers were getting one.
"I met Deve Gowda last night and requested him. I have also informed our leadership. Today morning I have also requested the chief minister (H D Kumaraswamy) to leave the seat for us. He (Kumaraswamy) said he will discuss (it with his party leaders)," he said.
According to a deal finalised between the coalition partners on Wednesday after much haggling, the Congress will contest 20 and the JD(S) will contest eight of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
The JD(S) will field its candidates from Uttara Kannada, Chikmagalur, Shimoga, Tumkur, Hassan, Mandya, Bangalore North and Bijapur seats.
The deputy chief minister said if need be, he will even meet the party high command on the matter.
Parameshwara, who is also the Tumkur district in-charge minister, said, "If Gowda contests, we all will work together for his victory as he is a tall leader... if he doesn't contest, give the seat to us, (that) is our request," he said, after meeting senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.
According to JD(S) sources, the party bagged Tumkur constituency, dominated by the Vokkaliga community -- a major vote bank, after a hard bargain as the Congress had decided not to cede the seats currently held by it.
There is simmering discontent within the Congress's Tumkur unit over the decision, with former legislator K N Rajanna reportedly threatening to contest as an independent if the party fails to renegotiate.
Meanwhile, state Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah told reporters that he will speak to party president Rahul Gandhi and general secretary K C Venugopal on the issue.
Muddahanumegowda said he has also requested that the seat be given back to the Congress.
"If Deve Gowda contests, there is no issue; it will be a matter of pride for us. Else, give it to me... I have made this request to Kharge, Gowda and the CM, I'm hopeful," he said.
Amid doubts about Gowda contesting polls, his constituency has not yet been finalised by JD(S).
Reports suggest that he may contest either from Tumkur or Bangalore North.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
