Oscar, Jairam may be Cong high command's choice for Rajya Sabha?polls

New Delhi, May 27: The Congress high command may prefer two retiring members of the Rajya Sabha, Oscar Fernandes and Jairam Ramesh as its candidates for the election to the Upper House from Karnataka.

According to state party leaders, the high command may go for Fernandes, a loyal party leader, and Ramesh, a Kannadiga. He is also considered close to Rahul Gandhi. The Congress can easily win two seats and the high command is favouring Fernandes and Ramesh.

The party has so far has not given its indication about the candidature of Fernandes and Ramesh to the state leaders. However, a senior leader told Deccan Herald that the party had informed the state leaders that they would prefer those who are articulate and experienced. If the party top brass approved the state leaders' suggestion to field the third candidate, they would prefer Ramamurthy.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said the high command will decide the party candidates for Rajya Sabha elections. Siddaramaiah and KPCC President G Parameshwara, who landed in the Delhi on Thursday, will hold first round of talks on Friday with Digvijaya Singh, party general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, to finalise the candidates. Later, they will meet party president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi to get their approval, sources said.

Council elections

During the meeting, they will also finalise the candidates for elections to the seven seats of Legislative Council from the Assembly, scheduled to held on June 10. While the party can win four seats, there are 35 aspirants. The probable candidates including Veeranna Mathikatti, Rani Satish, Allum Veerabhadrappa, Nasir Ahmed, Manjunath Kunnur, N Suryanarayana Reddy, Salim Ahmed, Manohar Inapur, Mallajamma and Anant.

As the government can fill three Council seats through nomination, the party has shortlisted the names of former MP and cine artiste Ramya, writers Marulasiddappa, H C Siddaramaiah, L Hanumanthaiah and Baraguru Ramachandrappa, sources said.

During the meeting, the state leaders will also discuss the long pending cabinet reshuffle, which is likely to take place by the end of next month.

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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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