Congress leader and former Karnataka minister H K Patil has threatened to resign as MLA if Gadag taluk is not declared drought-hit by October 10.

Speaking to farmers on Sunday, Patil said he would respect their demand for his resignation if the drought declaration was not made within the deadline. He also said he would make efforts to get Gadag declared drought-hit before October 2, which is Gandhi Jayanti.

Patil said he was not helpless on the issue and would work to ensure the declaration was made at the earliest.

He further warned that he would resign if anyone tried to prevent Gadag taluk from receiving drought-hit status despite its eligibility.

More Karnataka taluks may be declared drought-hit

So far, 124 taluks in Karnataka have been declared drought-hit, while assessment is continuing in other parts of the state.

Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, who also holds the Revenue portfolio, said earlier on Sunday that more than 200 taluks across Karnataka are likely to be included in the drought-affected list.

According to Parameshwara, the government is assessing areas in phases based on prescribed criteria and ground-truthing. He said 101 taluks were declared drought-affected in the first phase, followed by another 24.

An additional 52 taluks are expected to be declared drought-affected in the next three to four days.

Patil has meanwhile set October 10 as the deadline for Gadag taluk, saying he would submit his resignation if the area is not declared drought-hit by then.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has taken a swipe at Mamata Banerjee after the Election Commission allotted her faction a new party name and the Football Player electoral symbol ahead of the West Bengal bypolls.

The Mamata Banerjee-led faction was given the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and the Football Player symbol on Friday. The rival faction led by Arup Roy was allotted the name Democratic Trinamool Congress and the Envelope symbol.

The Election Commission had earlier frozen the use of the All India Trinamool Congress name and the traditional Flowers and Grass symbol by the rival factions pending a final decision on their organisational dispute.

What Himanta Sarma said about Mamata’s new symbol

Speaking to reporters during his visit to West Bengal, Himanta Biswa Sarma said the new electoral symbol allotted to Mamata Banerjee’s faction would also soon lose its relevance.

“The football will get deflated,” Sarma said, adding that Mamata Banerjee would be “nowhere” after two days.

Sarma also claimed that Mamata Banerjee would not return to power in West Bengal. He said Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari would carry out development work in the state while Mamata Banerjee would watch from the sidelines.

These were Sarma’s political remarks about Mamata Banerjee and her faction, rather than an independently established outcome.

Trinamool factions get separate names and symbols

The Election Commission’s decision came ahead of the October 6 bypolls to Nandigram and Rejinagar in West Bengal.

Under the interim arrangement, neither faction can use the original All India Trinamool Congress name or the Flowers and Grass symbol for the upcoming bypolls. The poll body said the arrangement would remain in place pending a substantive determination over which group represents the recognised political party.

The Mamata-led faction will contest under the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress with the Football Player symbol, while the rival group will use Democratic Trinamool Congress with the Envelope symbol.

Sarma also targets Rahul Gandhi over Nandigram

Sarma also criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the arrest of Congress’s Nandigram bypoll candidate Milan Pradhan.

Pradhan was arrested by West Bengal Police on the basis of four pending non-bailable warrants linked to cases dating back to the 2007 Nandigram anti-land acquisition agitation. Police said the cases included serious offences such as murder and attempt to murder.

Mamata Banerjee’s faction had withdrawn its own Nandigram candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, and announced support for Congress nominee Milan Pradhan.

Sarma defended the arrest and questioned the Congress decision to field a candidate facing criminal cases. His comments came after Rahul Gandhi and Congress described the arrest as political targeting and “murder of democracy”.

The developments come amid heightened political activity in West Bengal ahead of the October 6 bypolls and the continuing dispute over the Trinamool Congress’s name and electoral symbol.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) won three of the four key positions in the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, with BJP leaders using the results to target Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

The results announced on Saturday saw ABVP candidates win the president, secretary and joint secretary positions. Independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen won the vice-president’s post.

The outcome left the Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) without any of the four central panel positions. NSUI had won the vice-president’s post in the previous year’s election.

ABVP wins three key posts

ABVP’s Yash Dabas defeated Congress-backed NSUI candidate Vijay Shankar Meena in the presidential contest.

Dabas secured 24,576 votes, while Meena received 22,523 votes, giving the ABVP candidate a winning margin of 2,053 votes.

ABVP’s Riya Chhawdi won the secretary’s post with 21,650 votes, against 14,869 votes secured by the NSUI candidate.

For joint secretary, ABVP’s Lakshya Raj Singh received 16,615 votes. Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha candidate Vishesh Yadav polled 15,778 votes, while NSUI’s Gopal Chaudhary finished third with 15,206 votes.

Independent candidate wins vice-president post

The vice-president’s contest produced a different result.

Deepanshu Shokeen, a former NSUI member who contested as an independent after not receiving the organisation’s ticket, won the position.

His victory meant that ABVP took three central panel posts, while the remaining position went to an independent candidate.

BJP leaders target Rahul Gandhi

The DUSU results also triggered political reactions from BJP leaders, who linked the outcome to Rahul Gandhi’s recent youth outreach programme, “Chhatron Ki Goonj”.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda said, “I didn’t hear the goonj (echo) but definitely heard the dhamaka (explosion),” in an apparent reference to Gandhi’s campaign.

Other BJP leaders also criticised the Congress following the results. The report said BJP leaders described the DUSU outcome as an indicator of student sentiment towards the Congress.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah congratulated ABVP workers, while Education Minister Pralhad Joshi said the organisation had secured the president, secretary and joint secretary posts.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also congratulated the winning ABVP candidates, including Yash Dabas, Riya Chhawdi and Lakshya Raj Singh. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta similarly congratulated the winners.