Karnataka byelections: Congress, BJP?grapple with ticket aspirants

January 18, 2016

Bengaluru, Jan 18: Lobbying for tickets for bypolls to three Assembly constituencies of Hebbal, Bidar and Deodurg has intensified in the Congress and the BJP.

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Notification for the byelections will be issued on January 20 marking the beginning of filing of nomination papers. Elections will be held on February 13.

Deodurg MLA A Venkatesh Naik of the Congress died in a train accident in August, while BJP leaders Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli (Bidar constituency) and Jagadish Kumar (Hebbal) died following heart attack in November last.

In Hebbal, Congress MLCs Byrathi?Suresh, H?M?Revanna, R?V?Venkatesh are vying for tickets.

Former Union minister Jaffer Sharief’s grandson Rahaman Sharief, who lost the 2013 polls by a margin of 5,500 votes and Youth Congress chief Rizwan Arshad, former mayor M?Ramachandrappa are also in the aspirants’ list.

On Sunday,?Revanna met senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and is said to have explained why the party should consider him for the constituency.

In the BJP, there is a divide among party leaders whether the ticket should be given to former minister Katta Subramanya Naidu’s family. Jagadish Kumar had contested the 2013 polls after Katta was not given a ticket following corruption charges against him.

A section of party city MLAs want Katta’s wife Lalitha or his daughter-in-law Sowmya Jagadish (former corporator Katta Jagadish’s wife)?to be given the ticket.

Former police officer Abdul?Azeem, who joined the BJP?recently and party MLC?Y?Narayanaswamy have also emerged as aspirants. Azeem contested the 2013 on a JD(S)?ticket and secured 25,075 votes.

In the JD(S), party city unit chief H?M?Ramesh Gowda and Hanumanthegowda (who contested unsuccessfully from neighbouring Bytarayanapura Assembly segment) have emerged as front runners.

In Deodurg, the Congress is keen on tapping the sympathy factor and give the party ticket to Naik’s wife Savithridevi or his son Rajashekar Naik.

The BJP?has shortlisted two former ministers Shivanagouda Naik and Narasimha Naik. The party election committee, which is scheduled to meet in Bengaluru on Monday, is likely to take a final decision.

Up north in Bidar, there is a divided opinion in the BJP whether the ticket should be given to Gurupadappa’ son Suryakanth. While Suryakanth has good rapport with leaders B?S?Yeddyurappa, R?Ashoka among others, he is not popular among party cadre in his own district, sources in the party said.

In the Congress, Rahim Khan, who contested unsuccessfully and lost by 1,800 votes in 2013 has emerged as a front runner. Khan has the backing of former chief minister N?Dharam Singh.

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru CEN police have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly posting provocative and misleading content on an Instagram page named “mr_a_titude”, targeting the Bajpe police.

Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H identified the arrested as Abhishek M, a resident of Katipalla in Mangaluru.

A case has been registered at the Bajpe Police Station under Sections 353(1)(c), 353(2), 56, and 57 read with Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the post.

According to police, the accused uploaded a photograph of a hotel on the Instagram page and alleged that accused persons in a murder case under the Bajpe police jurisdiction were being given “royal treatment” by the police, including being served beef meals daily from the hotel.

The post further accused the police of supporting criminals, misusing their authority, and betraying public trust. Police said the content was provocative in nature and aimed at inciting public outrage against the police.

Following the post, a case was registered at the Bajpe police station, and further investigation was transferred to the CEN police station.

Police records indicate that the accused has a criminal history, with multiple cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, assault, and robbery at the Surathkal Police Station, and one case at the Kaup Police Station.

The Commissioner said the accused was traced and arrested using technical evidence.

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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 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A 34-year-old fruit and vegetable trader in Mangaluru has reportedly lost ₹33.1 lakh after falling victim to an online investment scam run through a fake mobile app.

Police said the scam began in September, when the victim received a link on Facebook. Clicking it connected him to a WhatsApp number, where an unidentified person introduced a high-return investment scheme and instructed him to download an app.

To build trust, the fraudster asked him to invest ₹30,000 on September 24. The trader soon received ₹34,000 as “profit,” convincing him the scheme was genuine. Over the next two months, he transferred money in multiple instalments via Google Pay and IMPS to different scanner codes and bank accounts shared by the scammers. Between September 24 and December 3, he ended up sending a total of ₹33.1 lakh.

When he later requested a refund of his investment and promised returns, the scammers demanded additional payments, claiming he needed to pay a “service tax” first. Even after he paid a small amount, no money was returned, and the scammers continued pressuring him for more.

A case has been registered at the CEN Crime Police Station.

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