Chaitra Kundapura reveals top BJP leadership involved ticket scam

Bypoll results in seven seats in six states gave the Opposition I.N.D.I.A enough reasons to look at future with more confidence with the bloc overcoming tough battles in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghosi and Jharkhand’s Dumri with ease, while sending signals for a realignment in West Bengal.

The Samajwadi Party retained Ghosi and JMM once again won Dumri where I.N.D.I.A parties stuck to each other, while in West Bengal’s Dhupguri, the Trinamool Congress overcame the challenge by Congress-backed CPI(M) and the BJP, a result which it will use to convince the Congress to leave its alliance with the Left.

The CPI(M) had the worst performance among the I.N.D.I.A partners, losing both Boxanagar and Dhanpur in Tripura to the BJP despite support from the Congress, while it lost Kerala’s Puthupally to the grand old party. In Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar, the BJP retained its seat.

Altogether, BJP won three seats and lost one, Congress retained its Kerala seat, Trinamool added one seat by defeating the BJP, JMM showed it still has the zeal to win, and the Samajwadi Party hung on to its seat despite its sitting MLA shifting loyalties.

The most watched fight was in Ghosi where the I.N.D.I.A alliance was tested with Congress and RLD announcing support to the SP candidate and BSP calling to vote for NOTA.

With its MLA Dara Singh Chouhan resigning and fighting from the BJP, it was a prestige battle for the SP whose candidate Sudhakar Singh extracted revenge by defeating Chouhan by 42,759 votes, binning the saffron party’s gamble. Singh polled 1.24 lakh or 57.19 per cent while Chouhan got 88,688 (37.54 per cent).

Interestingly, the number of NOTA votes was only 1,725, appearing to indicate that a section of BSP voters preferred the SP candidate. In the 2022 polls, BSP polled 54,248 votes.

Dumri saw a tough battle initially but JMM fielded Bebi Devi, the widow of sitting MLA Jagarnath Mahto whose death necessitated the bypolls, getting the better of AJSU’s Yasodha Devi.

The BJP’s calculation was that the coming together of AJSU and the saffron party would help them conquer the seat. One thing that will comfort the combine will be the decrease in margin by half from 34,000 to 17,153 votes.

The Dhupguri victory will be a shot in the arm for the Trinamool Congress as it wrests the seat from the BJP defeating its candidate Tapasi Roy by 4,313 votes. Its candidate bagged 46.28 per cent votes while CPI(M) got 6.52 per cent, a statistic that the Trinamool will surely highlight to the Congress to dump the Left.

In Tripura, BJP won both the seats, wresting one from the Congress-backed CPI(M), which had boycotted the counting alleging wide-scale rigging, and retaining its sitting seat.

BJP's Tafajjal Hossain, the first Muslim MLA for the party, defeated CPI(M)'s Mizan Hossain by 30,237 votes. The BJP nominee bagged 34,146 or 87.97 per cent of the votes in the minority dominated seat while CPI(M) got just 3,909 votes or 10.07 per cent votes.

In Dhanpur where Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik's resignation necessitated the bypoll, BJP's Bindu Debnath won by a margin of 18,871 votes. He bagged 70.35 per cent votes while his CPI(M) rival Kaushik Chanda got 26.12 per cent.
Though Tipra Motha did not announce support for anyone, the meeting of its top leader Pradyot Burman with Home Minister Amit Shah was seen by the Opposition as a tacit understanding.

In Kerala’s Puthupally where Congress and the CPI(M) came face to face, the former’s Chandy Oommen retained his father former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's seat by a record margin of 37,719 seats. Congress in Kerala is projecting a vote against the CPI(M)-led government. BJP's Ligin Lal managed to get only 6,558 votes and lost his deposit.

Uttarakhand Bageshwar was retained by BJP’s Parvati Dass, who defeated Congress’s Basant Kumar by 2,405 votes. Though Congress supported SP in neighbouring Ghosi, SP did not reciprocate it in Bageshwar but could bag only 637 votes.

Hubballi, Sept 15: The BJP is holding a protest here, alleging the authorities of delaying permission for holding Ganeshotsav at Idgah Maidan under pressure from the Congress government in the state.

The party accused the Hubballi-Dharwad Mahanagara Palike Commissioner Eshwar Ullagaddi of delaying a decision to grant permission for the event.

The BJP has urged him to grant permission, as the Municipal Corporation has passed a resolution permitting the celebration of Lord Ganesh festival at the venue - Idgah Maidan at Chennamma Circle, by installing a Ganesh idol.

BJP council members, leaders and workers led by MLA Arvind Bellad met the Municipal Commissioner on Thursday and urged him to give permission for the festivities at the venue, based on the Municipal Council's resolution.

On not getting any positive response or assurance, they subsequently launched an indefinite protest in front of the Commissioner's office seeking permission to hold public celebrations for Ganesh festival at the Idgah Maidan, and even sang bhajans and played musical instruments like harmonium and tabla.

Ullagaddi, on his part, is said to have clarified he has to consider various issues, including law and order before taking any decision and that he has sought the opinion of the Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad district in this regard.

Alleging the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government's role in delaying permission, aimed at minority appeasement, the BJP leaders questioned law and order being given as a reason by the Commissioner and pointed out that the festival was celebrated peacefully last year.

The BJP continued with the protest on Friday too.

Speaking to reporters, BJP MLA Mahesh Tenginakai said, despite the Mahanagara Palike resolution, the Commissioner instead of implementing it immediately, is being adamant, with the support of the government or some one else.

Noting that the title deed of the Idgah Maidan is clear that it is the Corporation's property, he said, but still applications are being filed in the courts making claims. 'We are ready for a legal battle too.'

Urging the Commissioner to give permission without any delay, Tenginakai asked him not to give an opportunity for any untoward incident.

Pointing out that last year the High Court had ordered giving permissions to hold various celebrations and festivals including Ganeshotsav at the venue, subjected to the approval of the Mahanagara Palike, he said the government seems to be exerting pressure on the Commissioner, not to give permission to hold Ganeshotsav. 

The true essence of educational process is that it continues with sustained progress and ends up with holistic development. In the pursuit of students’ progress, we often evaluate their performance with emphasis on improved test and exam results. However, in reality, the educational journey that students embark ultimately demands their comprehensive development, of which performance in exams is just one aspect. If one fails to recognise the other aspects of this process, students may in the long-run appear to be ill-equipped to solve their own problems. The proper utilization of their inbuilt soft skills may not always be possible to them. Therefore, focussing on the overall development of students becomes essential. This involves nurturing students, by cementing their growing age at the school premises, to emerge with abundant energy and enthusiasm to face the world. Students' comprehensive development can be of three dimensions: academic, moral, and social.

1) Academic Development

By academic development we mean (a) knowledge-enhancement (b) excellence and (c) knowledge-application.

(a) Knowledge: With the gradual advancement of the classes, students must expand their knowledge base. Students should not be seen as vessels for storing information; instead, they should embody the true essence of education. Else, there remain no distinction between a machine and a human being. The topics taught in any subject are brimming with information. When a teacher succeeds in transforming this information into understanding through effective teaching methods, it becomes knowledge that retains in students' memories for longer periods. Therefore, classroom lectures should not be restricted to the mere transmission of information; rather, they should be imbued with the art of transforming information into knowledge. As a result, students will grasp the essence of conceptual understanding, cultivate a culture of healthy argument and develop critical thinking skills.

(b) Excellence: The knowledge acquired through gradual process exerts a vigorous impact and enables students to excel in whatever they do. Therefore, focusing solely on scoring marks can impede their pursuit of excellence. This needs to be taught and should be considered as a parameter to gauge students' performance. From maintaining a decent physical appearance to excelling in both academic and non-academic activities, all aspects need to be in view to make excellence a synonymous with their persona.

(c) Application: The pragmatic approach towards acquired knowledge is pivotal when considering its beneficial aspects. Often, this aspect remains veiled from students, as at times they encounter difficulties in applying the knowledge they have acquired over the years. The knowledge-application aspect serves to identify the authenticity of education and paves the way for improvisation of teaching and learning methodologies. Knowledge acquired with excellence must be synchronized with its practical application. This enables students to know various answers to the question: What can students actually do with the knowledge they gain in every class?

2) Moral Development

The process of moral development for students is like teaching them how the wings of birds enable them to fly and soar high in the skies. The flip side of excellent performance is high moral standards. This implies that students have two sides: one sports their academic performance, and the other reflects their high moral standards. The moral development also has three prong prerequisites: 

(a) Self-awareness: The process of moral development begins with self-awareness. When students know who they are, the rest follows in accordance with their understanding. It sets them on untiring and exemplary journey towards excellence. By self-awareness we mean enabling students recognize their strengths and weaknesses and empowering them with the ability to enhance their strengths and overcome their weaknesses.

(b) Righteous deeds: It can serve as a parameter of one's moral character. The extension of being in good conduct involves performing good deeds. It's about benefiting others, lending a helping hand, speaking the truth, and even a simple smiling gesture….all have the power to exert a positive impact on others.

(c) Duty towards fellow being: It is the natural extension of moral deeds; it involves recognizing one’s obligation to others. The pinnacle of morality is when the people in one's vicinity benefit from either words or deeds. Morality can be summarized as 'loving for others what one loves for oneself. These shades of morality can be summarized as spirituality with the aid of which a person finds proximity with the God.

3) Social Development

Socializing students means synchronizing them with their surroundings. Every aspect, whether related to themselves, their homes, or society, has enormous potential for their educational and moral development. Socially aware students always fall under our jurisdiction. This jurisdiction doesn't rely solely on the four walls of an institution; rather, the entire city where students live becomes a kind of virtual school. Students perceive their surroundings in the way we guide them. When they leave their homes, they view every nook and corner and the surroundings through our perspectives. The influence of the school extends far beyond its physical walls, and the teaching and training process begins the moment students leave their homes.

This socialization requires a mentality of owning everything. Every person is connected to them. From the executives living in high-rise buildings to the individuals residing in small localities, to the beggars who extend their hands to earn a livelihood, all are interconnected with them in one way or another. This owning mentality helps students adopt realistic perspective. The high-rise executives can inspire them to dream big, while the beggars can motivate them to step forward and address this social evil. Their vision will be inclusive of a mission of serving people, and their earnings will be dedicated to the well-being of others through selfless service. This way, the dearth of highly qualified and educated individuals in small villages can be mitigated. This approach can encourage students to consider constructing their societies and actively contribute to the progress of the country in all spheres.

This idea of students’ development can help us make our teaching and learning system more efficient and foster a competitive spirit among both students and teachers alike.

The author is the Director of AJ Academy for Research and Development, Raichur. [email protected]