Bengaluru, Mar 30: Amid speculation over whom the BJP would field against Karnataka Congress strongman Siddaramaiah in Varuna constitutency in the May 10 Assembly polls, party stalwart B S Yediyurappa on Thursday did not rule out the possibility of his son B Y Vijayendra entering the fray.

Varuna in Mysuru district is among the key seats to watch out for as Siddaramaiah, the Congress legislature party leader and former Chief Minister, has thrown his hat in the ring in this segment, currently represented his son Yathindra.

When asked by reporters whether Vijayendra would be fielded from Varuna, Yediyurappa said, "Discussions are going on. Siddaramaiah knows that his ground is slipping away. I don't think it is so easy for him. We will field a good candidate. We will give a tough fight. Let's see what happens."

The BJP veteran and four-time Chief Minister said the decision on whether to give the Varuna ticket to Vijayendra, who is the state BJP vice-president, would be left to the party's central leadership.

Commenting about it, Siddaramaiah told reporters at the Congress office that he was not bothered about the candidate who would contest against him.

Congress state president D K Shivakumar who was also present, quipped that his party would welcome it if Yediyurappa himself decided to contest from Varuna.

Yediyurappa has announced his retirement from electoral politics.

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Prayagraj (PTI): The Allahabad High Court has expressed dissatisfaction over the investigation and state's evidence in a 2009 custodial death case in Mainpuri district of Uttar Pradesh.

A bench of justices Atul Sreedharan and Siddhartha Nandan warned that if relevant videography and photographs are not placed before the court, the only option left to it will be to take assistance of CBI to recover the vital evidence.

The order was passed while hearing a PIL filed by Association for Advocacy and Legal Initiatives.

The court, in its order dated April 7, noted that crucial facts including video and photo evidence of the incident are missing.

The court observed, "In the event, by the next date of hearing, the videography and photographs relevant in this case are not placed before this court, the only other option left to this court is to take assistance of the central bureau of investigation (CBI) to recover vital evidence in this case which shall be considered on the next date of hearing."

"The chain of evidence is unclear casting doubt on the fairness of the investigation," the court added.

The court also directed the then sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Karmendra Singh of Mainpuri to file his affidavit strictly in terms of the order dated February 9, failing which, it said, it shall consider to take appropriate action against him.

The court asked Singh to give a precise answer on the fate of the videography recording which was done in his presence.

The court fixed May 5 as the next date of hearing in the matter.