Cong-led UDF retains Vengara Assembly seat in Kerala, BJP finishes fourth

Agencies
October 15, 2017

Malappuram, Oct 15: The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key partner in the Congress-led UDF Opposition in Kerala, today retained the Vengara Assembly seat by defeating its nearest rival CPI-M candidate in the by-poll.

IUML candidate K N A Khader won the seat with a margin of 23,310 votes over CPI-M nominee P P Basheer, a district official said after the result was announced. BJP candidate K Jayachandran Master secured 5,728 votes and SDPI'S K C Naseer got 8,648 votes.

The UDF and LDF garnered 65,227 and 41,917 votes respectively. The constituency had recorded a 72.12 percentage voter turnout during the by-election held on October 11.

However, the UDF's victory margin was less than it received in the 2016 assembly polls, in the segment considered to be a stronghold of IUML. IUML leader P K Kunalikutty had won the seat with a huge margin of 38,057 votes beating CPI-M's Basheer in 2016. The BJP had polled 7,211 votes in the segment.

Last year, UDF got 72,181 and LDF 34,121 votes. Reacting to the poll verdict, Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, Ramesh Chennithala said even after LDF "misused" official machinery, the UDF candidate won the by-election. He also said even after LDF played the solar scam card they could not manage. CPI(M) State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the increased vote share of LDF clearly showed that the programme's of the government led by Pinarayi Vijayan has the support of people.

The victory of UDF is only "technical" and they were not able to maintain the lead they secured last year, he said. The by-election was necessitated after sitting MLA P K Kunhalikutty quit following his election to parliament from Malappuram Lok Sabha segment that fell vacant after the death of IUML leader and former union minister E Ahmed in February last.

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Dodanna
 - 
Sunday, 15 Oct 2017

Send ONE carton BURNOL to recent KERALA visited bjp leaders

Malayalees Enjoy and live with peace full life

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News Network
February 23,2020

Madikeri, Feb 23: Back-to-back floods and landslides in the last two years, has led to a fall in the number of tourists coming to the coffee-growing region of Kodagu, forcing the district administration to intervene and take confidence-building measures, telling tourists that Kodagu was safe to visit.

According to the statistics of the Karnataka State Tourism Department, Kodagu recorded a moderately good number of tourists in 2018 and 2019, the years that the district witnessed devastating floods and landslides.

The Department’s statistics reveal that 17 lakh tourists visited Kodagu in 2018 and 18 lakh in 2019. This means the flood-ravaged years did attract tourists contrary to what the stakeholders had claimed.

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News Network
August 7,2020

Madikeri, Aug 7: Two days after massive landslides triggered by heavy downpour in Kodagu, five people including a priest are still missing. 

The landslide, which originating at Brahmagiri Hills in Talacauvery, swept away two houses on Wednesday night.

This missing people are: Talacauvery temple chief Narayana Achar (70), his wife Shantha (70), brother Ananda Theertha Swami (87) and two assistants — Ravi Kiran (26) and Srinivas (30). Achar’s neighbour had shifted out of Bhagamandala earlier, fearing a landslide. 

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had to stop rescue operations due to bad weather. The operations resumed today. 

“There are many minor landslides on the way to the spot,” said Kodagu Deputy Commissioner C Annies K Joy, adding that the flood situation at Bhagamandala was not permitting earthmovers to reach the spot. Heavy rain between Wednesday and Thursday triggered landslides. 

Bhagamandala Panchayat Development Officer Ashok said a notice was issued to the priest’s family to shift out of the house, but they chose to stay back. 

On Thursday morning, when the Talacauvery temple staff went to check on Narayana Achar, as he had not reached the temple for the daily puja, they found levelled land and debris where Achar’s house stood. Utensils, puja material and clothes were found nearly 2 km away at Cherangala. 

As rains continued over the last few days, many rivers are flowing above the danger levels, forcing people to move to safer places.

 Responding to the situation, which is turning grimmer by the day, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who is currently undergoing treatment in a private hospital after testing positive for Covid-19, directed ministers to visit rain-hit areas and supervise relief efforts. He has also assured of providing required financial assistance for those affected.

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News Network
February 28,2020

Feb 28: The Supreme Court on Friday granted more time to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a counter affidavit on a petition filed by Karnataka BJP leader and mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy seeking permanent relaxation on his bail condition to allow him to visit Karnataka's Bellari and Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh.

A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Indira Banerjee listed the matter for further hearing on March 16 after the CBI sought more time to do file the counter affidavit.

Earlier, the apex court had issued a notice to the CBI and sought its response on the plea.

Last year, the Court had allowed Reddy to visit the Ballari district for a period of two weeks to meet his father-in-law, who the petitioner claimed had suffered a stroke and also allowed him to move a bail modification application seeking permanent relaxation of his bail condition.

In January 2015, the Supreme Court had granted bail to Reddy in an illegal mining case involving Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) on the condition that he will not visit any of the mining zones in Karnataka or Andhra Pradesh.

By the time he was granted bail, Reddy had already spent over three years in prison.

Reddy and his brother-in-law BV Srinivas Reddy, who was the Managing Director of OMC, were arrested by the CBI on September 5, 2011.

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