JD(S) MLAs Iqbal Ansari, Zameer ensure victory of Cong candidate Rizwan Arshad

June 11, 2016

Bengaluru, Jun 11: The five rebel JD(S) MLAs, who gave a deadly blow to their party leadership by voting against their candidate in Karnataka Legislative Council election on Friday, are now ready to face the consequences.

Even before the election JD(S) MLAs B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan, N. Cheluvarayaswamy, Iqbal Ansari, Akhanda Srinivasamurthy and C. Balakrishna had openly declared that they would not vote for the party candidates.

JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy also had admitted that talks with the rebel JD(S) MLAs had “failed” and that the matter is now a “closed chapter”. The rebels have charged the party leadership of taking unilateral decisions with regard to the elections. Kumaraswamy said rebel MLA H C Balakrishna had invited him for talks with the other four dissident MLAs. However, the talks fell through. He claimed that the party leadership had sought the opinion of all MLAs, except for a few, who he said were not in touch with the party leadership.

On Thursday, Kumaraswamy had to face the heat from Balakrishna, who on behalf of the other four MLAs attacked the party leadership for taking unilateral decisions. On request of the party MLAs, Balakrishna had agreed to hold talks with the four rebel MLAs. However, all the five rebels who showed up in the Vidhana Soudha to cast their votes in MLC?polls, maintained that they had not changed their minds. They would cast their votes to the Congress' third Rajya Sabha candidate, K C Ramamurthy in the elections to be held on Saturday, they said.

The MLAs who created a flurry on the corridors of Vidhana Soudha, also claimed that the party leadership had failed to reach out to them. “We waited till about 1 pm thinking that the party leaders would at least make a phone call and request us to cast our votes to the party candidates in the legislative council polls. As they didn't, both Iqbal Ansari and I have cast my vote for the Congress candidate Rizwan Arshad,” said Chamrajpet MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan.

Stating that he hadn't received the party's whip, Khan said that he was willing to hold talks with Kumaraswamy after June 11. “We have given our word to the Congress. After the elections, I don't mind reaching out to Kumaraswamy to resolve our issues,” he added. Balakrishna, Cheluvarayaswamy, Ansari and Srinivas Murthy too parroted the same thing.

Also Read : Karnataka Legislative Council poll results: Congress-4, BJP-2, JD(S)-1

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Congratulated to our beloved leader KPYCC President Sri Rizwan Arshad ji for getting MLC seat. 1/2

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Heartiest congratulation's Mr.Rizwan Arshad.

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Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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