Cong, BJP, JD(S) struggle to finalise candidates in Karnataka

March 5, 2014
Bangalore, Mar 5: With Karnataka set for one-day poll April 17 to elect 28 members to Lok Sabha, the Congress, the BJP and the JD-S are trying to speed up candidate selection but are hampered by infighting and efforts to zero in on the winnability factor of the contenders for a ticket.
BJP

All the three parties have missed the grandiosely announced deadlines of releasing the candidates list well before the Election Commission comes out with the poll dates as they seem to be waiting for the others to name the nominees and then finalise who from their party can take on them.

An interesting feature of this election in Karnataka is provided by the state's ruling Congress with the IT major Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani already campaigning for the Bangalore South Lok Sabha seat though he is yet to join the party and be officially named its candidate.

Nilekani has started the campaign as state Congress leaders have indicated that he has been chosen for the constituency, currently held by Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary H.N. Ananth Kumar, and only the official announcement is due.

Karnataka Congress leaders have also indicated that all the nine Lok Sabha members from the state will be renominated for the April 17 poll, leaving the party to finalise candidates for the remaining 18 seats.

For two of the seats, Dakshina Kannada and Bangalore North, the Congress is holding primaries - idea of party vice president Rahul Gandhi - on March 9 and March 15 respectively to pick the candidate.

The primary in Dakshina Kannada has run into controversy with party's returning officer rejecting the application of Harsha Moily, son of Petroleum Minister M. Veerappa Moily, on technical grounds. Moily junior was to take on Congress veteran and former central minister B. Janardhana Poojary for the ticket.

Even as the Congress struggles to finalise the nominees for the remaining 16 seats, the party is caught in an embarrassing situation with state Congress chief G. Parameshwara criticising the Siddaramaiah government of not providing adequate funds for Dalits in this year's budget. Parameshwara, a Dalit, aired his view at a meeting of Dalits in Bangalore Sunday.

The chief minister hit back at Parameshwara Tuesday saying that allocation for various communities have been made based on their population.

On the BJP front, there was some relief for the party as its strongman in Bangalore and former home minister R. Ashoka Tuesday dropped his opposition to nominating former chief minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda to contest from Bangalore North. The seat has large number of Vokkaliga community voters and both Ashoka and Gowda belong to the community.

To iron out differences over candidates for most of the other seats in the state, party's senior leader Arun Jaitley arrived in Bangalore Wednesday.

The Janata Dal-Secular headed by former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda, is also hunting for winning candidates though interest is on whether Gowda's daughter-in-law Anita Kumaraswamy and grandson Nikhil Gowda will be fielded.

Anita is married to Kumaraswamy, a former chief minister. Nikhil is their son and if chosen will be contesting the polls for the first time.

Also keenly watched in the state is the JD-S plan to field a family member of former chief minister S. Bangarappa from Shimoga, about 250 km north of Bangalore, from where BJP is fielding scam-tainted former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, who has returned to the party after nine monhts. Shimoga is held by Yeddyuappa's son B.Y.Raghavendra.

The JDS has left it to party legislator and Bangarappa's younger son Madhu Bangarappa to decide whether to field his mother Shakuntala or sister Geeta.

Geeta is married to popular Kannada actor Shivaraj Kumar, son of thespian, the late Rajkumar.

All parties hope to finalise the candidates by next week as the election process has been set in motion by the Commission Wednesday.

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News Network
December 17,2025

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Melkar, Dec 17: The 17th Annual Day and Graduation Ceremony of Melkar Women’s PU and Degree College, themed “Fusion-2K25,” was celebrated with dignity and enthusiasm, marking a significant milestone in the institution’s academic journey. The programme reflected the college’s steadfast commitment to academic excellence, character building, and the holistic development of students.

The event was inaugurated by Mr. Asif Mohammed, whose presence greatly enriched the occasion. The celebration was further graced by the chief guests Mr. P. B. Ahmed Mudassir and Mr. Nissar Fakeer Mohammed, along with the distinguished guests of honour Mr. B. A. Nazeer and Mr. Ibrahim Gadiyar. In their inspiring addresses, the guests encouraged the graduating students and appreciated the dedicated efforts of the management, faculty, and students.

The annual report was presented by the Principal, Mr. Abdul Majeed S, highlighting the institution’s academic progress, notable achievements, and extracurricular accomplishments during the academic year.

The presidential address was delivered by the esteemed Chairman of Melkar Women’s PU and Degree College, Dr. Haji S. M. Rasheed, who emphasized the vital role of education in empowering women and shaping responsible citizens. He also stressed the importance of discipline, dedication, and perseverance in achieving success.

Cultural programmes and academic recognitions formed an integral part of the celebration, showcasing the talents and achievements of the students. The graduation ceremony was a proud moment for the outgoing students as they were formally conferred degrees and wished success in their future endeavours.

Ms. Mashmooma Fathima served as the Master of Ceremonies. The welcome address was delivered by Ms. Fathima Nida, and the programme concluded with a vote of thanks proposed by Ms. Ayisha Suhana.

The event successfully achieved its objectives and was highly appreciated by the guests and attendees.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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