Bengaluru, Apr 10: After Bharatiya Janata Party appointed former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa as its chief in Karnataka state, the Congress has intensified hunt for a powerful counterpart. The KPCC president G Parameshwara, who has completed the five-year term, has been continuing in the post even after being inducted into the State Cabinet as Home Minister.
With the Congress high command busy drawing up strategies for the ongoing Assembly elections in five States, the Karnataka unit may have to wait at least till the declaration of poll results for the new captain to take on the mantle of the party.
While several leaders have been eyeing the key post, the names of a few belonging to the dominant Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities are doing the rounds. Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga, who is presently campaigning along with party president Sonia Gandhi in Assam, is the front runner for the post. Mr. Shivakumar was the working president of the party when R.V. Deshpande was the KPCC president during 2008-10.
Sources said the high command may support the candidature of Mr. Shivakumar, who is also the fundraiser for the party. A sixth-time MLA, Mr. Shivakumar is also one of the popular leaders among the masses, particularly in the Vokkaliga belt of the old Mysuru region. Moreover, he has the blessing of senior leaders such as S.M. Krishna.
Among the Lingayat leaders, the names of Water Resources Minister M.B. Patil, IT/BT Minister S.R. Patil, and MLA Appaji Nadagouda are doing the rounds, in the backdrop of reports that the high command was keen on having a new party chief from either of the two dominant communities. As the BJP has appointed Lingayat strongman Mr. Yeddyurappa, the Congress may prefer a leader from the Vokkaliga community, said a party insider.
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DK Shivakumar is now front runner for Karnataka Cong chief post
I wasn’t interested to contest RS polls; Sonia and Abdullah want me in Parliament: Deve Gowda
News Network
June 10,2020
Bengaluru, Jun 10: Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) supremo and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda said on Tuesday that he filed his nomination for the June 19 Rajya Sabha elections from Karnataka in response to a collective call from national leaders to be back in the Parliament.
"Though I was not personally interested to contest, national leaders from Congress President Sonia Gandhi, National Conference President Farooq Abdullah, TMC and Left parties want me back in Parliament," he told reporters here.
Gowda, 87, filed his nomination in the Vidhana Soudha, submitting the papers to Assembly Secretary and Returning Officer M.K. Vishalakshi, a party official told IANS.
Gowda''s second son and former minister H.D. Revanna and third son and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy were present on the occasion.
"Our party''s all 34 legislators also urged me to contest as my presence is necessary in Parliament at a time when the country was grappling with multiple crises in the aftermath of coronavirus," said Gowda.
Claiming that there was no pressure from his two sons as they are more concerned with his health, Gowda said he was touched by the requests of the national leaders, especially Gandhi who personally called him and asked him to contest as the country needed his presence in Parliament.
Gowda agreed to contest in the bypoll as his party''s candidate after the Congress state unit assured him of its support with its surplus votes, as the JD-S with 34 legislators is short of 10 votes of the required 44 votes.
It will be second time Gowda will enter the Rajya Sabha, 24 years after he was its member as the Prime Minster from June 1996 to April 1997 of the United Front government.
"Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal informed Kumaraswamy on June 6 that the party was fielding only its senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge from Karnataka and had surplus votes to ensure my victory as our party is 10 votes short of the required 44 votes to win," Gowda said.
Kharge filed his nomination on Monday.
Party''s outgoing member Kupendra Reddy, whose 6-year term ends on June 25, told Gowda that he was not interested for a second term as he did not get enough time in the upper house to raise issues.
"As our party does not have numbers in Parliament to get more time allotted to raise issues and participate in debates, Reddy wanted me to be in the Rajya Sabha in his place so that I could serve the nation better," Gowda said.
Gowda lost in the May 2019 general elections from Tumkur to G.S. Basvaraj of the BJP.
With the term of the four members -- Congress'' B.K. Hariprasad and Rajeev Gowda, BJP''s Prabhakar Kore and JD-S''s Reddy ending on June 25, the Election Commission notified the poll on June 1.
According to the poll panel, the nominations will be scrutinised on Wednesday and last date for withdrawal by candidates is June 12. Polling and vote count is on June 19.
From the ruling BJP, its grassroot cadres Eranna Kadadi and Ashok Gasti filed their nominations after Gowda.
By fielding Gowda for the fourth seat, the Congress and JD-S, who had post-poll and pre-poll alliances for the Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections in May 2019 and May 2018, queered the pitch for the BJP, denying it the chance to win a third seat.
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Dinesh Gundu Rao to undergo home quarantine after security person tests covid positive
News Network
July 4,2020
Bengaluru, Jul 4: Karnataka Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao said on Saturday that he and his family would get tested for COVID-19 after one of his security persons tested positive for the infection.
Rao's family will also be in-home quarantine for the stipulated time.
"One of my police security person has tested positive for COVID yesterday. My family members and I are getting tested now and will be in-home quarantine for the stipulated time period. None of us are showing any symptoms," he said.
The total number of cases in Karnataka stands at 19,710. Out of them, 8,805 have recovered and 293 patients have lost their lives, according to the Union Health Ministry.
Across the country, the total number of cases stands at 6,48,315. As many as 3,94,227 patients have recovered so far and 18,655 have lost their lives due to the virus.
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Fearing he had coronavirus, Dakshina Kannada man kills self to 'save' his family
News Network
March 27,2020
Mangaluru Mar 27: Thinking that he might have contracted the coronavirus infection, a 55-year-old man has committed suicide in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada district.
The deceased has been identified as Sadashiva Shetty, a resident of Abbettu under Meramajalu village. He was working in a petrol bunk.
It is learnt that Sadashiva suspected that he might have come in contact with coronavirus infected people while working in the petrol bunk.
He was scared that the same might get transferred to his family members through him.
He was depressed for past few days. Today, he hanged himself from the ceiling fan of his house, sources said.
A case has been regarded at the Bantwal rural police station and investigations are on.
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Don't give chance to any corrupt leaders Congress will lose thier image and status in strong hold Karnataka.
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