Sonia Gandhi to address election rally in Karnataka on Saturday
Bengaluru (PTI): Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi would address an election rally in Hubballi on Saturday, her first campaign meeting for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka. The Congress candidate in Hubballi-Dharwad Central is former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who joined the party after being denied ticket to contest the elections by the BJP.
The BJP has fielded Mahesh Tenginkai in this segment.
The fight between Shettar and Tenginkai has become a prestigious battle of sorts for the ruling BJP and the Congress, which are putting all their might behind their candidates.
"Sonia Gandhi will arrive at around 12.30 pm on May 6, and after addressing an election rally, she is slated to return from there at around 3.30 pm. This is her only public meeting," party sources told PTI on Thursday.
AICC President M Mallikarjun Kharge, who hails from the State, and Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have been campaigning extensively in Karnataka, where the party is seeking to wrest power from the BJP.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would hold a 36.6 km road-show in Bengaluru.
The road-show would pass through the city's 17 Assembly constituencies.
The Prime Minister would cover a distance of 10.1 km from 11 am to 1 pm, and 26.5 km from 4 pm to 10 pm, BJP leaders said.
May 8 is the last day for campaigning, and the counting of votes is on May 13.
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.
Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
