Sriramulu to take on Siddaramaiah in Badami; both file nomination papers amid fanfare

coastaldigest.com news network

April 24, 2018

Badami, Apr 24: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday filed nomination from Badami constituency in Bagalkot district. Siddaramaiah was accompanied by Congress leaders S R Patil, C M Ibrahim and ministers R B Thimmapur, Umashree and sitting MLA B B Chimmanakatti while filing the papers.

Siddaramaiah is contesting the upcoming elections from two seats - Badami and Chamundeshwari. On April 20, he had filed his nomination papers from Chamundeshwari constituency.

Meanwhile Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate B. Sriramulu filed his nomination from Badami against Siddaramaiah. BJP state chief Yeddyurappa, party leaders Jagadish Shettar, Prakash Javadekar and Muralidhar Rao were with Sriramulu at the time of filing the papers.

Workers from both Congress and BJP flooded Badami's streets, marching to drum beats. On one side in this election is Siddaramaiah, who thought Badami to be a safe bet given the huge population of his community, the Kurubas and other Ahinda groups. On the other is Sriramulu, banking on the votes of dalits (to which he belongs) and the Lingayats, the latter being BJP's traditional vote bank.

The BJP has tried to paint Siddaramaiah's choice of Badami as an insurance in the event of a possible loss in his home turf Chamundeshwari. The chief minister has sought to nullify the criticism by asking whether it was the fear of defeat in Vadodara that prompted Narendra Modi to contest from Varanasi too in the 2014 prime ministerial bid.
He claims he is only responding to the love and affection shown by people in North Karnataka, by opting for one of the segments there.

When Sriramulu filed his papers, two other BJP ticket aspirants M K Pattanashetti and Mahantesh Mamadapur too submitted their nominations, leaving room for a change of candidate if needed till the last date for withdrawal on April 27.

Yeddyurappa said goddess Banashankari, Badami's presiding deity, too will not bless the chief minister. The elections in the state will held on May 12 and result will be out on May 15.

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Roadblock to Relief: Speaker Khader’s Push to Expand Key NH-66 Stretch from Nanthoor to Talapady

News Network

November 26,2025

Mangaluru, Nov 26: Assembly Speaker and local MLA U.T. Khader has initiated a high-level push to resolve one of Mangaluru’s longest-standing traffic headaches: the narrow, high-density stretch of National Highway-66 between Nanthoor and Talapady.

He announced on Tuesday that a formal proposal has been submitted to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) seeking approval to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the widening of this crucial corridor.

The plan specifically aims to expand the existing 45-meter road width to a full 60 meters, coupled with the construction of dedicated service roads. Khader highlighted that land for a 60-meter highway was originally acquired during the initial four-laning project, but only 45 meters were developed, leading to a perpetual bottleneck.

"With vehicle density rising sharply, the expansion has become unavoidable," Khader stated, stressing that the upgrade is essential for ensuring smoother traffic flow and improving safety at the city's main entry and exit points.

The stretch between Nanthoor and Talapady is a vital link on the busy Kochi-Panvel coastal highway and connects to major city junctions. The move to utilize the previously acquired land for the full 60-meter width is seen as a necessary measure to catch up with the region's rapid vehicular growth and prevent further traffic gridlocks.

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