English हिन्दी
Connect with us

Latest Politics News

Karnataka by-polls: Congress-JD(S) wrest Bellary from BJP, score 4-1 win

Published

on

Karnataka by-polls: Congress-JD(S) wrest Bellary from BJP, score 4-1 win

The Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance in Karnataka got a boost, winning two of the three Lok Sabha seats and the two Assembly constituencies, including pulling off an unexpected upset in Ballari Lok Sabha seat.

By-elections were held for the three Lok Sabha – Ballari, Shimoga and Mandya and two assembly seats – Jamkhandi and Ramanagara on Saturday. Out of the three parliamentary constituencies, the BJP held two, while the JDS one. The BJP holds Shivamogga, which is a stronghold of its state chief BS Yeddyurappa.

The by-polls were more a matter of prestige and gauge of the voters’ mood as the terms for the three Lok Sabha constituencies ends in barely six months when 2019 elections are due. This would be of some concern for the BJP which seeks to retain the tally of parliamentary seats in the upcoming 2019 General elections against a combined opposition in the state.

In 2014, the BJP had won 17 of Karnataka’s 28 parliamentary seats. The Congress won 9 and HD Kumaraswamy’s Janata Dal (Secular) 2 seats.

The results should also strengthen the Congress-JD(S) alliance, whose durability was being doubted and questions raised about its longevity.

Karnataka Chief Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) president HD Kumaraswamy Tuesday said the BJP’s claim of the Congress-JD (S) alliance being ‘Apavitra Maitri’ has just been proved wrong.

As he congratulated cadres of both parties, Kumaraswamy said this victory was the first step in securing all 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state, and that JD(S) will work with Congress to win all of them. “This is not an empty boast just because we have won today. This is the confidence of people in us. This win is not making us arrogant,’ he added.

In Ballari, it is for the first time that BJP has faced defeat since 1999 when Sonia Gandhi won the seat. The margin is also one of a concern for the BJP, where their candidate, former MP J Shanta lost the seat to Congress’ VS Ugrappa, a newcomer to the district’s political landscape, by more than 2.4 lakh votes. Ugrappa described it as “a victory of the people, of principles and of secularism.”

While the BJP did win the “battle of the sons” in Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat, its margin has come down. BS Raghavendra, the son of BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa, won against JD(S)’s Madhu Bangarappa, son of former Chief Minister S Bangarappa, by a margin of 52,148 votes. In comparison, Yeddyurappa had won the seat in 2014 by a margin of 3.63 lakh votes.

Raghavendra, however, saw positives despite the vote transfer between Congress and JD(S). “In the assembly polls, while BJP won seven out of eight seats, the cumulative vote of Congress and JD(S) was more than the BJP’s by 1 lakh. Despite this, we are seeing victory. We expected a higher margin of victory, but I accept what the voters have given me,” he told journalists at the counting booth in Shivamogga, said a report in The Hindu.

In Mandya, where there has traditionally been a fight between Congress and JD(S), the coalition candidate LR Shivaramegowda from JD(S) won comfortably, defeating BJP’s candidate Siddaramaiah who had joined the party just before the elections. With a victory margin close to 3.25 lakh votes, this is a new record for Mandya parliamentary seat. However, in the absence of other competitors, BJP has seen their voter tally cross 2 lakh in the constituency for the first time.

In the assembly constituencies, it was status quo with the coalition partners retaining their respective seats.

With Tuesday’s victory, the Congress-JD(S) alliance’s tally has gone up to 120 seats in the 224 member assembly where the BJP has 104 MLAs.

Anand Nyamagouda, the son of the recently sitting MLA S Nyamagouda, won by nearly 39,500 votes. BJP’s Kulkarni Srikanth lost for the third time. The campaigning was led by former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who seems to have made Bagalkote district his political base after winning from here in the May elections. In five months, the winning margin went up significantly from 2,000 votes secured by the late Nyamagouda.

In Ramanagaram, where BJP’s candidate L Chandrashekhar rejoined the Congress 48 hours before the polls, the results were as expected. Anita Kumaraswamy, wife of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy who had relinquished the seat after winning it in the May assembly polls, won comfortably. She won by 1.09 lakh votes, while the BJP received 15,906 votes despite their candidate jumping ship. Her husband had held the seat since the 2004 elections.

2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Mallikarjun Kharge writes to PM Modi seeks time to explain Congress’s Nyay Patra

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge wrote an open letter to PM Modi and said the Prime Minister is being misinformed by his advisors

Published

on

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge wrote Prime Minister Narendra Modi a letter on Thursday, requesting an explanation of the ancient party’s Nyay Patra.

In support of the Congress manifesto, Kharge said that the Nyay Patra aims to give justice to marginalised people from all castes and communities, including women, children, farmers, and labourers.

The Congrss president said, PM’s  advisors are misrepresenting things to him that aren’t even included in our manifesto. Kharge said, he would be more than happy to meet with him in person to explain thehir Nyay Patra’ so that, as prime minister of the country, he dosen’t make any statements that are false.

It has become his  habit to seize on a few words taken out of context, create communal divide, Kharge added.

The Congress leader said that he is neither shocked nor surprised by the language used by the prime minister, in reference to Modi’s recent addresses.

It was expected that the PM and other leaders from his party would start speaking in this manner after he saw the dismal performance of the BJP in the first phase of the elections, he continued.

The impoverished and their rights have been a topic of discussion in Congress (nyay). We know that you and your administration do not care about the underprivileged and destitute, he remarked.

Continuing his attack on the prime minister, Kharge said, PM’s ‘suit-boot ki sarkar’ works for the corporates whose taxes you reduced while the salaried class pays higher taxes. The poor pay GST even on food and salt and the rich corporate claim GST refunds. That is why, when we talk of inequality between the rich and the poor, you are purposely equating it with Hindu and Muslim.

Following the criticisms made by the prime ministers in their recent election speeches, Kharge has responded. Modi has not held back when criticizing the main opposition party at his rallies, accusing them of scheming to redistributing assets and referring to the Congress manifesto as a “imprint of the Muslim League.

Continue Reading

2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Bollywood actor Neha Sharma campaigns for her father Ajit Sharma in Bhagalpur, Bihar

The Bollywood actor posted a video on her Instagram handle which showed her journey through various districts of Bihar, including Kishanganj, Banka, Purnea and Katihar. She was dressed in a traditional salwar kameez and was seen greeting and encouraging the public to cast their votes.

Published

on

Bollywood actor Neha Sharma’s recent participation in a roadshow in Bihar has taken the internet by storm. Sharma, known for her roles in films like Tum Bin 2 and Crook, was seen supporting her father, Ajit Sharma, who is contesting from Bhagalpur Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket. The roadshow came amid speculations that the actor might enter politics. But, it is now clear that she was just campaigning for her father.

neha sharma

The Bollywood actor posted a video on her Instagram handle which showed her journey through various districts of Bihar, including Kishanganj, Banka, Purnea and Katihar. She was dressed in a traditional salwar kameez and was seen greeting and encouraging the public to cast their votes.

The actor received a warm reception and love from a large crowd in Pirpainti and Kahalgaon during her roadshow. She wrote on Instagram that it is said when someone gives one a place in their heart, then they live there forever. She said her heart is full of all the love and support she was receiving from the people. She thanked the people for the warm welcome she got in Pirpainti and Kahalgaon. Aapka pyar sar ankhon par.

Another video, circulating on social media showed the actor actively participating in her father’s election campaign in Bhagalpur. The election to the Bhagalpur Lok Sabha seat is set to take place in the 2nd phase on April 26. Ajit Sharma is representing the Congress and is up against JDU’s Ajay Kumar Mandal in this seat.

Earlier, there had been rumours and speculations that Neha Sharma might join politics. But many reports have clarified that she is not making her political debut yet. The Bollywood actor had been offered the opportunity to join politics by her father Ajjit Sharma but she is currently focusing on her acting career.

Continue Reading

2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Mallikarjun Kharge vows to continue politics till his last breath to defeat BJP

The 81-year-old Congress leader was speaking at a election rally in Afzalpur and said that if the people did not vote for the Congress candidate, he would think that he did not have any place in Kalaburagi anymore.

Published

on

Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday appealed to the people of Kalaburagi to at least attend his funeral if they thought he worked for them even though they do not wish to vote for Congress in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

The 81-year-old Congress leader was speaking at a election rally in Afzalpur and said that if the people did not vote for the Congress candidate, he would think that he did not have any place in Kalaburagi anymore. The Congress President sought an emotional chord with the people of his home district of Kalaburagi, Karnataka

The grand old party has fielded Kharge’s son-in-law Radhakrishna Doddamani from Kalaburagi, against BJP’s sitting MP Umesh Jadhav. Kharge had won the Lok Sabha elections from Kalaburagi in 2009 and 2014, but lost in 2019. He appealed to the voters to vote for Congress but at least come to his funeral if they thought that he had done some work in Kalaburagi. Kharge added that he would continue in politics till his last breath to defeat the BJP and RSS ideology.

The Congress leader said he is born for politics and whether or not he contests the election, he will continue to strive till his last breath to save the Constitution and democracy of the country. He asserted that he will not retire from politics. Kharge said that retirement happens from a position but one should not retire from his/her principles. He said he is born to defeat the ideology of the BJP and RSS and not to surrender before them.

He advised Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who shared the stage with him, to follow his principles. He said he had told Siddaramaiah many times that he may retire as CM or MLA, but he cannot retire from politics till he defeats the ideology of the BJP and RSS.

Continue Reading

Trending

-->

© Copyright 2022 APNLIVE.com