Can JD(S) billionaire BM Farooq make it to Rajya Sabha this time?

coastaldigest.com news network
March 8, 2018

Nearly two years after a futile bid by the Janata Dal (Secular) to send its new leader BM Farooq to Rajya Sabha, the March 23 elections to the Upper House are heading for a high-pitched battle as the Karnataka’s regional party has announced the billionaire entrepreneur as its official candidate once again even though it has no hope of reaching a consensus with Congress on an alliance.

Cross-voting by JD(S) rebel MLAs in 2016 had prevent Mr Farooq’s victory. In spite of suspension by the party, the rebel legislators have not yet resigned. They are likely to join Congress after voting for Congress candidate against Farooq in upcoming RS polls.

Members of the Legislative Assembly form the electoral college for the Rajya Sabha polls. A candidate requires about 44 votes to win the polls. In the Assembly, the Congress has 122 MLAs on its side. Though the JD(S) has 37 MLAs, its rebel MLAs have pledged support to the Congress. Hence JD(S) has only 30 valid votes. The Congress is hoping to win the third seat with the help of JD(S) rebels and some independent legislators. The BJP with 46 MLAs can win one seat.

Meanwhile, JD(S) national president H D Deve Gowda on Wednesday softened his party’s stand to woo the Congress and announced the party will continue its alliance with the Congress in the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). His son and JD(S) president H D Kumaraswamy had earlier threatened to withdraw support in the BBMP if the Congress didn’t support its Rajya Sabha candidate.

“Despite losing the 2016 elections, BM Farooq remained with the party and we’re bound to support him,’’ the former Prime Minister said. Within months after the poll debacle, the JD(S) had made BM Farooq as its chief general secretary.

After a core committee meeting, Gowda sent a message to the Congress leadership that it had extended its indirect support to the party by not fielding candidates in Gundlupet and Nanjangud byelections and it expected the same for Farooq.

“Even in the case of getting Kupendra Reddy elected, the Congress did not field a candidate in 2014. Now, when it’s the turn of B M Farooq, why is the Congress, which claims to have been a guardian angel of minorities, trying to oppose us?” asked Gowda.

According to sources, Congress may field Gandhi family loyalist and technocrat Sam Pitroda or senior leader Janardan Dwivedi from Karnataka for the RS polls. Meanwhile, CM Siddaramaiah is reportedly lobbying for his close friend and realtor P R Channa Reddy to be the third candidate.

The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) said its list of three candidates will be out in two days. “There is no question of alliance with JD(S), as we’ll be fielding three candidates at the RS polls,” said KPCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao.

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News Network
March 3,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 3: Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu has said that a medical team is monitoring the health condition of all those people who had stayed with the coronavirus-hit techie who is admitted to a hospital in Hyderabad.

The first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Telangana was reported from Hyderabad on Monday where a man from Bengaluru, who recently returned from Dubai, tested positive for the virus.

"It has come to our knowledge that the coronavirus-hit person in Hyderabad had gone from Bengaluru. Therefore, all the members in the house where he had stayed here have been identified and are under watch," Mr Sriramulu tweeted on late Monday night.

The minister said he has convened a meeting with the additional chief secretary, commissioner and other senior officials of the health department today.

"Our government has initiated all the measures to prevent the spread of this virus," the minister said.

It is learnt that the 24-year-old techie had not contracted it when he was in Bengaluru but all precautionary measures have been taken.

The software engineer, who works in Bengaluru, had worked with people from Hong Kong in Dubai last month where he is suspected to have contracted the virus, Telangana health minister E Rajender told reporters in Hyderabad.

The man reached Bengaluru on February 19/20 and later went to Hyderabad in a bus.

He took treatment for fever after coming to Hyderabad and was admitted to a private super speciality hospital in the city. As it did not subside, he came to the state-run Gandhi hospital on Sunday evening, Mr Rajender said.

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News Network
May 8,2020

Kochi, May 8: Five people, who were among 181 individuals evacuated from Abu Dhabi, have been sent to the isolation ward of the district hospital after they displayed symptoms of coronavirus during thermal screening.

The first repatriation Air India Express flight with 181 individuals from Abu Dhabi landed at Cochin International Airport here on Thursday.

Among the returnees, 49 women were pregnant and four were children. They have been home-quarantine.

Meanwhile, the rest have been taken to quarantine centres in their respective districts.

The Air India Express flight IX452 to Kochi with 177 passengers and four infants took off from Abu Dhabi International Airport and touched down at Kochi post 10 pm.

The government has made it mandatory for foreign returnees to be quarantined for 14 days, either in a hospital or in an institutional quarantine on payment-basis, by the concerned state government.

A COVID-19 test would be done after 14 days and further action would be taken according to health protocols.

India on Monday began phased repatriation of its citizens stranded abroad due to coronavirus lockdown.

The government said that Air India will operate 64 flights from May 7 to May 13 to bring back around 15,000 Indian nationals stranded abroad amid the COVID-19-induced lockdown.

Starting from 7 May, 64 flights will take off for 12 countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Maldives, Singapore and the US.

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News Network
July 26,2020

Mangaluru, Jul 26: Karnataka government has initiated steps to provide insurance cover for priests and others working in temples coming under the Endowment Department -- a move that will benefit 50,000 people and their families.

Speaking to media here on Saturday evening, Minister for Endowment Kota Srinivas Poojary said there is a need to implement the decision at the earliest to provide relief to the priests and families of employees working in temples.

Department officials have been directed to include employees of state-owned temples under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyothi Bima scheme and also enrol them under State Bank of India’s group personal accident insurance policy at the earliest. The Central insurance scheme will provide Rs 2 lakh cover to family members in case of death due to accidents.

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