Will decide on supporting BJP after consulting supporters,voters: Sumalatha Ambareesh
Bengaluru, May 26: Multilingual actress and independent candidate from Mandya Lok Sabha seat,Sumalatha Ambareesh, who defeated Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil, Sunday thanked BJP for it's support and said she would decide on supporting the party after consulting supporters and voters.
Sumalatha met state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa and another senior party leader and former Chief Minister S M Krishna and thanked them for their support for her victory in Mandya.
BJP had supported Sumalatha by not fielding any candidate against her.
"I want to clarify one thing that if an independent candidate wins, there is no provision in our constitution for him or her to join a party, but can support...there is a provision to give issue based support, this is what I have got to know," she told reporters in response to a question about her joining BJP.
She said, "I have been saying that the opinion of people is important to me.
I have plans to go to every taluk in Mandya to thank voters during which I will consult my supporters and followers on what steps I have to take in the interest of Mandya. After taking their opinion I will come to a decision on this."
Thanking BJP for its support to her victory, Sumalatha congratulated the saffron party for its win both nationally and in Karnataka, by terming the landslide win as "tsunami".
Pointing out that her win was "historic",she credited the people of Mandya and supporters from across the party for it.
In a huge embarrassment to Kumaraswamy, his son Nikhil was defeated by Sumalatha by 1,25,876 votes in Mandya in a bitterly contested campaign.
Sumalatha (55) is the widow of popular actor-turned politician, the late M H Ambareesh.
She had initially sought a ticket from Congress,the party from which her husband had represented Mandya in the past, but it was denied citing coalition compulsions as it had to cede the constituency to JD(S),as per the seat sharing arrangement.
Several Congress leaders and workers were miffed over their party's decision to cede the seat to JD(S) and did not campaign for Nikhil, upset over certain comments by Kumaraswamy allegedly against them.
Many of them had extended support to Sumalatha and had campaigned for her openly with the Congress flag, despite the party warning against it.
Congratulating Sumalatha for her victory in Mandya, Yeddyurappa said she would take a decision on her association with BJP after consulting her supporters and voters.
"After knowing the opinion of voters of her constituency, she will let us know about her stand," he said in response to a question about inviting Sumalatha to BJP or her willingness to join the party.
BJP, which has very less presence in Mandya, decided to support Sumalatha as it saw the party's prospects increasing its base there with her win.
Despite losing the LoK Sabha by-polls in November 2018, the saffron party had made significant inroads by securing 2,44,404 votes, its best performance there.
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Shocked by PM’s remarks on Shakti scheme causing loss to metro: Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday said that he is "shocked" by the reported statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the "Shakthi scheme had resulted in loss of revenue for the Bengaluru metro".
Under the 'Shakti' scheme implemented by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, women can avail free travel in state-run buses.
Hitting out at Modi, the state deputy chief minister said that the prime minister lacks information on the Shakthi scheme and hence he has said that it has impacted revenues of the Bengaluru metro.
"Namma metro has earned a revenue of Rs 130 crore in the last one year. Footfalls too have gone up by 30 per cent for the same period. Bengaluru metro is limited to Bengaluru, while the Shakthi scheme is rolled out, keeping in mind people from across the state," he told reporters here.
The Shakthi scheme is rolled out by the Congress to ease the burden of price rise and inflation on women, Shivakumar said.
"Metro is a joint initiative between the State and the Centre and it has done well over the last one year. Someone seems to have provided incorrect information to the prime minister," he added.
"I would like to convey to the PM that the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Bengaluru metro are being run efficiently while offering the Shakthi scheme to women. Women are taking 60 lakh trips per day in Karnataka. They are very happy with the Shakthi scheme. Many other states are expressing interest in Shakthi scheme," he said.
PM Modi has reportedly spoken in an interview on bus and the Metro rail services and whether or not he made a specific reference to Karnataka is not known.
When asked if there was a shortage of buses in North Karnataka, Shivakumar said, "We have already taken a decision to buy 1,000 new buses. Of these, 100 buses have been allocated to Ramanagara district. Buses will be allocated to North Karnataka as well.
"We are not looking at making profits from KSRTC. We are only ensuring it doesn’t make losses. The government is reimbursing the cost of tickets under the Shakthi scheme," he said.
