Home Blog Page 2132

Karnataka: Poster war begins between supporters of Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar ahead of decision on the CM post

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Karnataka: Poster war begins between supporters of Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar ahead of decision on the CM post

Following the sweeping victory in the Karnataka assembly election, the Congress party is already witnessing a power struggle for the position of chief minister in the state.

First, supporters of former CM Siddaramaiah put up a poster outside his residence in Bengaluru, calling him “the next CM of Karnataka.”

Shortly afterward, Karnataka Congress President and senior party leader DK Shivakumar’s followers hung a poster outside his Bengaluru house, demanding him to be declared as “CM of the state.”

Congress party has called for a meeting of its elected MLAs on Sunday evening in the midst of all the drama. The party’s Karnataka head DK Shivakumar announced that the party will hold a legislature meeting today at 6:05 pm, at the Shangri La Hotel located in the state’s capital and he has already directed all the winners to reach Bengaluru.

The Congress Legislative Party (CLP) is expected to approve a resolution delegating the choice of the chief minister to the Congress national president. There are concerns that if the issue isn’t resolved, DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah would get involved in an ugly standoff within the party. Both party stalwarts have been outspoken about their ambitions for the top position.

Yesterday, DK Shivakumar reacting to the statement of Yathindra Siddaramiah, son of Siddaramiah, that his father should once again assume the top position curtly said that “High Command will decide.”

Earlier, the Gandhi family loyalist DK Shivakumar said, “I assured Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge that I will deliver Karnataka. I can’t forget Sonia Gandhi coming to meet me in jail.”

DK Shivakumar, as opposed to Siddaramaiah, has always been a member of Congress and has never lost an election since he won his first one in 1989. Siddaramaiah has been part of All India Progressive Janata Dal, Janata Dal, and Janata Dal (Secular) in the past before joining Congress.

The 75-year-old politician has often pointed out that this is his final election, presumably in the hopes that the party will take this into account while making its decision and consider him for the CM post. However, to his critics in the party, he is still an outsider and an import from another party.

In contrast to its 2018 assembly election victory of 104 seats, the Bhartiya Janata Party only managed to win 66 seats, while Congress increased its seat count from 80 to 135 ensuring a significant success for the party. The Janata Dal (Secular), which gained 37 seats in the previous election, was able to secure only 19 seats this time.

“They hit Prerak Mankad on the head…”: Jonty Rhodes over altercation with Hyderabad crowd during SRH vs LSG match

ANI
-
0
“They hit Prerak Mankad on the head…”: Jonty Rhodes over altercation with Hyderabad crowd during SRH vs LSG match

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fielding coach Jonty Rhodes on Saturday said that Prerak Mankad who was fielding at long-on was hit on his head during an altercation between the fans and the team’s dugout that took place during the Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants was halted due to an altercation between the fans and the LSG dugout at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Saturday. 

“Not at the dugout, but at the players. They hit Prerak Mankad on the head while he was fielding at long-on. #noton”, said Jonty in a tweet claiming that nuts and bolts were thrown at the players, not the dugout.

The altercation began when the third umpire decided to deny SRH’s Abdul Samad a waist-high no-ball against LSG’s Avesh Khan in the third ball of the 19th over.

Initially, the on-field umpire deemed it as a no-ball but, LSG decided to review the decision. The matter went to the third umpire and he decided to overturn the initial decision which enraged the fans as well as SRH batter Heinrich Klaasen. The South African batter went to the umpire to protest against the decision in an animated fashion.

As everybody on the field started to process the decision, LSG members were seen pointing at the crowd. The actual incident that provoked the fans has not been revealed but reports emerged that fans threw nuts and bolts at the LSG dugout.

The game was halted and there are reports that the on-field umpire had to run all the way to the dugout and try to calm down things. Andy Flower was seen having a chat with the umpire as well. Things started to get ugly as de Kock and Klaasen, the two South Africans were having a chat.

During the mid-innings interview, Klaasen showcased his disappointment regarding the decision as well as the way the crowd reacted to the decision.

“Disappointed of the crowd to be honest, that’s not what you want. That also broke the momentum, not great umpiring either,” Klassen said after the first innings.

Opting to bat first, SRH put on a total of 182/6 in their 20 overs. Amolpreet Singh (36 in 27 balls) provided a solid start at the top. In the middle order, useful knocks came from Heinrich Klaasen (47 in 29 balls), Abdul Samad (37* in 25 balls) and skipper Aiden Markram (28 in 20 balls).

Krunal Pandya (2/24) was the pick of the bowlers for SRH. Yudhvir Singh, Avesh Khan, Yash Thakur, Amit Mishra took a wicket each.

Chasing 183, knocks from Prerak Mankad (64* in 45 balls, seven fours and two sixes). Marcus Stoinis (40 in 25 balls) and Nicholas Pooran (44* in 13 balls) helped the side clinch a seven-wicket win.

With this win, LSG has 13 points, with six wins and five losses in their 12 games. One of their games ended with no result. SRH is in the ninth position with four wins and seven losses in 11 matches.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Congress supporters bicker among themselves over who should get credit for the Karnataka election victory

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Congress supporters bicker among themselves over who should get credit for the Karnataka election victory

Hours after the Congress party secured victory in the Karnataka elections by a huge margin, its supporters were seen bickering among themselves over who should be credited for this victory.

While one group hailed the local leaders, others remained fixated on Congress scion Rahul Gandhi and his ambitious political pilgrimage ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra.’

‘Historian’ Ramachandra Guha lamented that the Congress ecosystem was hailing only Gandhi but not the party cadres and the Congress leadership in Karnataka.

“It (is) sad to see the Congress ecosystem now claim the Karnataka win as a product of Rahul Gandhi and his Bharat Jodo Yatra, thereby diminishing and demeaning those who fought, and won, on the ground,” he tweeted.

The controversial historian was reprimanded by ‘journalist’ Sujata Anandan for taking the credit away from the Congress scion. “Had it not been for the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the mood would not have been set in Karnataka which local leaders did a brilliant job of capitalizing on,” she said.

“Learn to give credit where it is due, Mr Guha, instead of allowing your paranoia and hatred of Rahul Gandhi to get the better of your intelligence,” she further emphasised.

“By the way, you are no less responsible for the anti-Gandhis narrative out of which the BJP made ample hay and led the country on a disastrous course,” she further added.

Other Congress supporters were also quick to hail Rahul Gandhi for his Bharat Jodo Yatra and winning the elections for his party.

“The credit of Karnataka victory goes to Rahul Gandhi,” tweeted one Ravi. Evidently, not all sycophants in the Congress ecosystem were impressed by it.

“The Victory credit goes to not Rahul Gandhi or Sonia Gandhi but Mallikarjun Kharge ji. He is the senior-most leader in Karnataka his home State people will Vote Congress by seeing his face. If Rahul ji is the PM candidate no one will vote him Loksabha,” wrote one KLR.

‘Andolanjeevi’ Yogendra Yadav also joined in and attributed the Congress’ success to the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi.

Similarly, Indian Youth Congress leader Manpreet Singh hailed Rahul Gandhi for his ‘relentless efforts in fighting against the corrupt 40% sarkara of BJP.’

A Twitter user (@sahmed26) said that the Congress victory in the Karnataka polls was due to the perseverance of the local leadership. He also appealed to the party loyalists to stop giving credit to the Congress scion.

One Congress sycophant declared, “Story of Karnataka: The first major impact of Bharat Jodo Yatra done by Rahul Gandhi. Karnataka Election Results2023.”

Other Congress supporters fought amongst themselves to determine whom to credit for victory in the Karnataka election. While one Chetan Chandra hailed the local party leadership, a user named ‘Vikrant Dhiman’ decided that ‘star campaigner’ Rahul Gandhi needs to be credited.

One Kiran Kodlady appealed to people not to credit the Congress scion for victory in the 2023 Karnataka Legislative Assembly election.

“For God’s sake, don’t give this credit to Rahul Gandhi. If Congress wins this, give it to -Spirited campaign by Congress workers, worst governance of BJP, Anti Karnataka, the anti-Kannada stand of BJP, RSS taking full control and joint efforts by Siddu & DKshi group,” he claimed.

Opindia had earlier reported how the official Twitter handle of the Congress began promoting Rahul Gandhi when trends began favouring the grand-old party in Karnataka.

In this process, it conveniently ignored the efforts put in by local leaders such as DK Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah, and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to ensure the party’s success in the key election.

Maharashtra: Instagram post allegedly ‘insulting Prophet’ triggers violent clashes in Akola, 1 dead, 26 arrested

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Maharashtra: Instagram post allegedly ‘insulting Prophet’ triggers violent clashes in Akola, 1 dead, 26 arrested

On Saturday, May 13, a violent clash broke out between two groups over a minor dispute in the Old City police station area in the Akola district of Maharashtra. According to the police, the two conflicting groups pelted stones at each other, damaged vehicles, and caused a ruckus on the streets. One person was reportedly brought dead to the Civil Hospital after the clash. Meanwhile, section 144 has been imposed in the district by the order of the District Collector. 

According to an India TV report, the clash between the members of two religions erupted over an allegedly offensive Instagram post on the Prophet, which was deleted later. Police had to deploy force to bring the situation under control. Meanwhile, the police are examining CCTV footage to identify and nab the rioters. Police have also registered an FIR against 120 people involved in the clash.

Talking about the incident, Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said that he was in touch with the DGP and Akola Police. He added that the situation is now peaceful and under control.

Providing details on the matter, Superintendent of Police (SP), Akola, Sandeep Ghughe said, “Tensions prevailed between two communities over religious sentiments being hurt. Stone pelting occurred, and vehicles were also damaged. Heavy police deployment is there in Akola. One person was brought dead to Civil Hospital but we are investigating. So far, twenty-six people have been detained. 8 people were injured, including two police officers, who are out of danger now. “

SP Ghughe also said that section 144 has been imposed in the district and appealed to the local people not to step out of their homes unnecessarily. He further urged people not to pay attention to any sort of rumour.

This is the second such event to be reported in Akola. A few days back, there was a violent conflict between two groups in the Akot File area of Shankar Nagar.

Operation Samudragupt: 2500 Kilograms of Methamphetamine, worth Rs 12000 crore, seized off the Kochi coast

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Operation Samudragupt: 2500 Kilograms of Methamphetamine, worth Rs 12000 crore, seized off the Kochi coast

On Saturday, May 11, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) announced that it has seized nearly 2500 kg of methamphetamine worth Rs 12,000 crore from a vessel in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Kochi in a joint operation with the Indian navy. One suspect, reportedly from Pakistan, has also been arrested. The NCB described it as the largest-ever methamphetamine seizure in the country as part of “Operation Samudragupt”, which targets the maritime trafficking of drugs originating from Afghanistan. 

According to the NCB, methamphetamine originated from the “Death Crescent,” which includes Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan. NCB said that this was the first time an Indian agency intercepted a “mother ship” trafficking drugs. This “mother ship” distributed drugs to multiple boats during its journey from the Makran coast around Pakistan and Iran. 

According to the NCB, the methamphetamine shipment from Afghanistan was bound for India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. The Navy brought 134 sacks of purported methamphetamine, the seized boat, and other recovered items from the ship, as well as the Pakistani national, to Mattancherry Wharf and turned them over to the NCB. The seizure came after the NCB and Navy received a tip regarding the consignment crossing the Indian coastline roughly 15 days ago.

“NCB has initiated seizure procedures, and preliminary analysis shows that all of the packets contain high-purity methamphetamine,” NCB stated.

The NCB termed this as the third major drug trafficking seizure along the southern route in a year and a half. As part of the operation, about 3,200 kg of methamphetamine, 500 kg of heroin, and 529 kg of hashish have been recovered. The narcotics seized were sourced from Balochistan and Afghanistan. 

The Indian Navy and NCB conducted a joint operation to intercept an Iranian boat off the coast of Kerala in October 2022. During this operation, 200 kg of high-grade heroin, which had been brought in from Afghanistan, was seized and six Iranian drug traffickers were apprehended.

Following that, the NCB said, the sharing of real-time actionable information generated during the operation with Sri Lanka and the Maldives resulted in the seizure of hundreds of kilograms of heroin and methamphetamine and the arrest of 19 drug traffickers in two operations conducted by the Sri Lankan Navy in December 2022 and April 2023. 

Classic case of unlawfully occupying temple property to earn profits: Madras High Court upholds order of eviction from temple land

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Classic case of unlawfully occupying temple property to earn profits: Madras High Court upholds order of eviction from temple land

In its latest ruling, the Madras High Court instructed the District Collector of Kanchipuram on 13th May 2023 to enforce eviction orders related to temple land, which were issued against members of a cooperative society back in 2012. The court observed that based on the facts of the case, it appeared that there were efforts being made to unlawfully acquire the temple land with the intention of making substantial profits, considering the significant increase in land value in the vicinity of the temple.

The verdict was given by the single-judge bench of Justice SM Subramaniam. The order was issued in response to a set of petitions filed by members of the Kovur Agricultural Cooperative Farms Society. These petitions challenged the eviction order issued in 2012 by the President and Assistant Commissioner of the Revenue Court in Cuddalore, which called for the removal of the petitioners from agricultural lands belonging to a temple located in Kovur, a suburb of Chennai.

In 1969, the Kovur Agricultural Cooperative Farms Society entered into a lease agreement with the temple, allowing its members to utilize the temple land for agricultural purposes. However, even after the lease expired in 1981, the society’s members continued to occupy the temple’s land without legal authorization.

Following the liquidation of the society, eviction orders were issued against the petitioners by the local revenue court in 2012. Additionally, the revenue court directed the petitioners to pay outstanding rent amounting to Rs 50 lakhs. Dissatisfied with the decision of the revenue court, the petitioners approached the high court to seek redress. The petitioners contended that they were not provided with a fair opportunity to present their case, as required by the Tamil Nadu Public Trust Act, 1961.

In response, the respondents strongly opposed the petitions, asserting that the petitioners lacked the legal standing to invoke the provisions of the Public Trust Act against the temple. They argued that the property in question rightfully belonged to the temple, and no formal agreement had been established between the temple and the petitioners regarding the use or occupation of the land.

Justice SM Subramaniam said, “The land grabber’s attempt to take away the temple land in any form is intolerable…(Further) Loss of time would result in infringement of the right of a Deity, who is a minor.” The court expressed its opinion that as the temple operated as a public trust, any tenancy agreement entered into with the Cooperative Society could not grant the petitioners the right to assert the status of a lessee or any other related benefits.

The court said, “The rights of the petitioners are to be claimed only against the third respondent-Cooperative Society…The Tamil Nadu Public Trust Act, 1961 has no application in respect of the case of the petitioners.” Furthermore, the court dismissed the petitioners’ argument that they had been kept uninformed and that all proceedings had been conducted without their knowledge, without any notice being issued or served to them.

The court said, “The third respondent-Cooperative Society participated in all legal proceedings initiated by the Temple Authorities and even the interim order passed by the Revenue Court to settle the arrears was communicated to the Cooperative Society, which was informed to its members to settle the same in respect of the information passed by the third respondent-Society to its members.”

The court added, “The arrears of rent have not been settled for several years and the Revenue Court, after the lapse of about 11 years, has passed an order of eviction against the Cooperative Society, which in turn is liable to evict their own members and handover the subject property to the first respondent-Temple.”

The court held the view that the present case represented a classic case in which the petitioners, using their membership in the third respondent Society, were attempting to unlawfully remain in possession of the temple property without any legal authority and in the absence of a valid tenancy agreement.

The court observed, “As per the respondent temple, the petitioners have started subletting the property for commercial purposes and earning huge money for personal gains, which is unjust and illegal.”

Consequently, the court concluded that the temple was not required to provide any notice to the members of the Cooperative Society. As a result, the court dismissed the requested reliefs put forth by the petitioners.

Furthermore, the court instructed the District Collector of Kanchipuram District to execute the eviction order issued by the Revenue Court in 2012. The court specifically directed the District Collector to proceed with the eviction of all individuals occupying the lands belonging to the temple.

‘Elephants don’t respond to barking dogs’: Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shatri of Bageshwar Dham starts Katha in Patna. Read what he said and why

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Elephants don’t respond to barking dogs’: Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shatri of Bageshwar Dham starts Katha in Patna. Read what he said and why

Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shatri of the Bageshwar Dham started the Hanuman Katha (The Story of Lord Hanuman) program in Patna on Saturday, 13th May 2023. On the first day of the five-day-long katha, Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri started the story with chants of Lord Hari. As he proceeded through the storytelling, Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri kept praising the land of Bihar. He also responded to opponents in his own style.

Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri reached Raghavendra Math before reaching the katha site. Here he offered prayers at the Ram Janaki temple. After this, the chief of the Bageshwar Dham reached Taret Pali Math located in Naubatpur, Patna. The vast area of the monastery is decorated with pandals. Thousands of people were present to listen to the chief priest of the Bageshwar Dham. The huge pandal was flooded with the crowd. As soon as Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri entered the pandal, the devotees shouted slogans of Jai Shri Ram, Jai Hanuman and Bageshwar Sarkar Ki Jai. In his well-known style, Bageshwar Baba cheered and raised slogans for all those who came to listen to the story, those who did not come to the program and all the opponents as well.

Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri said that the people of Bihar are blessed as Goddess Janaki was born in Bihar. He said that it was in this land of Bihar that Aryabhata invented zero. The Bageshwar Baba also hailed the people of Bihar. He suggested a way for people to deal with disruptions appearing during Hanuman Katha. He gave the example that when the elephant goes out on a round in the village, people feed it bananas, puris and various other dishes. Children worship the elephant as Ganesha. At the same time, stray dogs start barking at the elephant. In such a situation, if the elephant starts responding to the dogs, then people will call the elephant crazy. Therefore, the elephant keeps moving forward on its way ignoring those dogs.

Talking more about the disruptions in the way of the Hanuman Katha, Dhirendra Shastri also narrated the story of Lord Hanuman when he reaches Lanka to search for Goddess Sita. Dhirendra Shastri said that there were many obstacles in the path of Hanuman but he achieved his goal by overcoming all of them. During this time he also sang many songs. The chief priest of the Bageshwar Dham advised people to do karma after giving ample thought to anything. Union Minister Giriraj Singh, MP Ashwini Choubey, former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, MPs Ram Kripal Yadav, Manoj Tiwari, Bihar BJP President Samrat Chaudhary and the Leader of Opposition in Bihar Vijay Sinha were also present during the program.

Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri will preach the Hanumant Charitra (The Story of Lord Hanuman) from 13th May 2023 to 17th May 2023. In the 5-day program, the Katha will be read every day from 4 pm to 7 pm. On May 15, Dhirendra Shastri will hold a Divya Darbar. In this Divya Darbar, he will directly address the problems of the devotees without any token or queue.

Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, the incumbent chief priest of Bageshwar Dham received a grand welcome when he reached Patna, Bihar on Saturday, May 13. Dhirendra Shastri was welcomed at the airport by Union Minister Giriraj Singh and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Pataliputra MP Ram Kripal Yadav among others.

Pleased by the heartwarming reception, he inquired about everyone’s well-being in Bhojpuri. BJP Member of Parliament from North East Delhi, Manoj Tiwari personally drove him to the hotel after his arrival.

Notably, the event in Bihar was surrounded by a lot of politics. It was opposed by leaders and members of the ruling Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Janata Dal coalition. However, the Bihar government approved the program in spite of strong objections from its own ministers and leadership.

Tej Pratap Yadav, the minister for the environment, forests, and climate change, called Dhirendra Shastri a coward and a traitor. He claimed that the former’s followers visit him daily to offer their apologies. He had pledged to go to the airport to stop the religious leader and promised not to allow him to organise his event in the northern state.

Organisers asked for permission to host the event in Gandhi Maidan, but the authorities refused to allow it in view of the anticipated large crowd and security precautions. Following that, they requested approval for the same at Taret Pali Math which was granted by the Patna district administration.

Raghav Chadha and Parineeti Chopra finally get engaged: See pictures

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Raghav Chadha and Parineeti Chopra finally get engaged: See pictures

Amidst speculations of being in a relationship, AAP Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha and actor Parineeti Chopra have finally got engaged. The AAP leader took to Twitter to share pictures of the duo after their engagement.

“Everything I prayed for…She said yes!” Chadha tweeted along with his pictures with the actor.

The engagement ceremony took place at Kapurthala House in Connaught Place, promising a lively Punjabi celebration. Alongside Parineeti’s close family and friends, her elder sister Priyanka Chopra also graced the festivities in Delhi today. As she embarked on her journey to attend the engagement ceremony, the talented actress from ‘Citadel’ was spotted and captured at the London airport.

The ceremony reportedly commenced at 5 PM, following Sikh traditions with a Sukhmani Sahib Path, followed by an Ardas at 6 PM. The couple has planned a Bollywood-themed ceremony, inviting their loved ones to join in the joyous occasion. Delhi’s Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, and Punjab’s Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann were also among the dignitaries expected at the event.

Reports of something brewing between Raghav Chadha and Parineeti Chopra started doing the rounds earlier this year when the duo were snapped multiple times at airports and restaurants. The meetings gave steam to rumours of a possible romantic relationship blossoming between the two.

Neither Parineeti nor Raghav officially confirmed their relationship but an AAP leader had in March congratulated them over their “union”. Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjeev Arora shared a collage of Parineeti and Raghav’s pictures.”I extend my heartfelt congratulations to @raghav_chadha and @ParineetiChopra. May their union be blessed with an abundance of love, joy, and companionship. My best wishes,” he said in a tweet.

Reportedly, Parineeti and Raghav studied together at the London School of Economics and have been friends for a long time.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Parineeti will be seen sharing screen space with Diljit Dosanjh in ‘Chamkila’. Helmed by Imtiaz Ali, the film revolves around two popular Punjabi singers Amarjot Kaur and Amar Singh Chamkila.

‘I take responsibility for this debacle’: Outgoing CM Basavaraj Bommai on Karnataka election results

ANI
-
0
‘I take responsibility for this debacle’: Outgoing CM Basavaraj Bommai on Karnataka election results

Taking responsibility for the debacle as trends showed Bharatiya Janata Party losing the southern state, Karnataka’s outgoing Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday said that there are multiple reasons for the defeat and the party will find out all of them.

Bommai himself won with a whooping margin of 35978 votes from the Shiggaon constituency.

“…I take responsibility for this debacle. There are multiple reasons for this. We will find out all the reasons and strengthen the party once again for Parliament elections..,” said Basavaraj Bommai.

He said that the party will take the verdict in its ‘stride’.

Taking to Twitter, Bommai said, “We accept the verdict of the people of Karnataka with due respect. We will take this verdict in our stride. We will analyse and correct our fault lines and rebuild the party and come back during parliamentary elections.”

Meanwhile, Congress wins 103 seats and leads on 33 more as the counting continues. BJP wins 50 and leads on 14 others as counting continues, as per the Election Commission of India.

The counting of votes began at 8 am amid tight security across the state.

Earlier in the day, Bommai said that once the results will be out a detailed analysis will be done to analyse the gaps that were left at various levels.

“We’ve not been able to make the mark. Once the results come we will do a detailed analysis. As a national party, we will not only analyse but also see what deficiencies and gaps were left at various levels. We take this result in our stride,” said Basavaraj Bommai.

He further added that all the efforts put in by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP workers weren’t able to make the mark.

“In spite of a lot of efforts put in by PM and BJP workers, we’ve not been able to make the mark. Once the full results come we’ll do a detailed analysis. We take this result in our stride to come back in Lok Sabha elections,” said Bommai.

Bommai had earlier said that he was confident of a BJP victory.

The exit polls predicted a hung assembly with some showing Congress returning to power with a majority. A few exit polls also showed BJP ahead.

The fiercely contested election saw high-pitch campaigns from the political parties.

The polling for the seats was held on May 10 with a voting percentage of 72. 68 per cent in voting for 224 seats. A party needs 113 seats to get a majority.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Odisha assembly by-poll in Jharsuguda: BJD registers thumping victory, BJP increases its vote share while Congress loses deposit. Read full details

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Odisha assembly by-poll in Jharsuguda: BJD registers thumping victory, BJP increases its vote share while Congress loses deposit. Read full details

The incumbent Biju Janata Dal (BJD) won the Jharsuguda by-election in Odisha whose outcome was declared along with the result of Karnataka assembly polls today. Dipali Das (26), the party’s candidate, also increased the winning margin over the total of her late father Naba Kishore Das in the 2019 general election.

The main opposition party in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party, came in second place and increased its vote share from 2019, while the Congress suffered an embarrassing loss.

She defeated BJP’s Tankadhara Tripathy (41) by an astounding margin of 48,721 votes, winning 1,07,198 (60.93%) of the 1,75,616 votes cast. He garnered 58,477 votes (33.24%), whereas Tarun Pandey (45) of the Congress party lost his deposit and received only 4,496 votes (2.56%).

Naveen Patnaik, the chief minister of Odisha and BJD supremo also congratulated her on the tremendous triumph. He had also campaigned for her during the election. He thanked the residents of the constituency for their support and mentioned that it enhances the commitment to elevate Odisha to the forefront of development.

“The victory is because of the love and blessings of the people of Jharsuguda. Since the CM has already initiated the development process, it will be expedited further. I will now have a huge responsibility and I’m ready to take it. I will also make every effort to fulfil my late father’s dreams,” Dipali Das stated while talking to the media.

The seat had been held by her father Naba Kishore Das since 2009 until he was shot dead on January 29 of this year, which prompted the by-election. The former health and family welfare minister was killed by Gopal Krushna Das, an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police. 

Prior to the 2019 elections, he defected to the BJD and won the seat by 45,699 votes, garnering 55.97% of the vote. He had previously won twice as a Congress MLA in 2009 and 2014 before switching his political affiliation.

Dipali Das has reportedly won by a significant margin owing to her deceased father’s extensive network, his nomination of her daughter as a candidate, the BJD’s robust organisational foundation and well-oiled election apparatus, as well as the CM’s effective campaigning.

The BJP also invested heavily in the by-election based on its election performance in 2019, when it obtained 30.04% of the vote. Senior party figures, such as state party president Manmohan Samal, camped out in the region for around two weeks to direct the party’s campaign.

Talking to the media, the BJP state chief asserted that although they had experienced a little setback, they will eventually fight back and become a viable alternative to the BJD, which is now in power.

“By-elections generally favour the ruling dispensation. So, it can’t be compared to the general elections. Our workers fought with dedication in Jharsuguda. We’ll review the results,” he remarked.

The Congress, which was barely seen on the ground throughout the campaign, is still having a hard time competing in state politics. No prominent official other than Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Sarat Pattanayak and a small group of his supporters were visible throughout the election drive in Jharsuguda.

The grand old party, which received more than 10% of the vote in 2019, was plagued by factionalism and was unable to retain the deposit in the by-election. Its candidates have now lost deposits in six of the eight by-elections held in the state since 2019.

1...2,1312,1322,133...7,585Page 2,132 of 7,585