HDK doesn’t rule out Nikhil's Channapatna candidacy

NT Correspondent Ramanagar: Speculation has been growing that JD(S) youth wing state president Nikhil Kumaraswamy would be declared as the candidate for the upcoming Channapatna Assembly by-election. When questioned about the candidacy, Union Minister for Heavy Industries, Steel and Public Enterprises HD Kumaraswamy didn’t rule out his son Nikhil as the possible ticket holder for the JD(S). He made the comments to mediapersons on the sidelines of the JD(S) party workers’ outreach and programme which both he and Nikhil attended in Channapatna taluk of Ramanagar district on Sunday. “At the end of the day, there will Vishal Mayur| NT Bengaluru Water leakage has persisted for over a year near the Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) area, close to the check-in counter at Kuvempu Metro Station on the Green Line.

A plastic bucket was placed to collect the rainwater to prevent the water from flooding the place, but despite this, water continues to leak during rains. This poses a risk for commuters, as the place has become slippery, particularly on Saturday night when there was heavy rainfall. While speaking with News Trail, a BMRCL section engineer said, “We understand this problem has persisted for many days. To address it, we need to remove the entire POP system to identify the source of the leakage. However, we require permission from higher authorities to proceed. We have filed a complaint, but so far, we have received no response.” Regarding the ongoing issue, one of the security guards commented, “The authorities neglect this problem, assuming that it only rains for a limited time each year. Who will take an interest in addressing these issues? I don’t believe BMRCL wants to invest money in this.” Another guard added, “We manage by placing buckets. When the buckets get filled, the cleaning staff goes and pours the water into the restroom and then replaces the buckets.

During the day, the cleaning staff handles this task, but if it rains at night, we security personnel sometimes have to clean it ourselves.” Many commuters expressed frustration with the situation, stating that no one seems to care about resolving these issues and that there is a lack of interest in finding a solution. HDK doesn’t rule out Nikhil's Channapatna candidacy Water leakage issues persist at Kuvempu Metro Station Rainwater also entered 10 homes in part of Old Vijayanagar, in the south zone. A sanitary line near the rajakaluve burst This is expected to boost non-fare revenue of the BMRCLbe an NDA candidate. Leaders from both parties will decide whether it will be Nikhil Kumaraswamy or someone else,” Kumaraswamy said. It is to be noted that Nikhil has in the past ruled out contesting from Channapatna despite insistence by senior party leaders. However, on this occasion, he didn’t contradict his father.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) faces a dilemma as BJP MLC CP Yogeshwar – a five-time Channapatna MLA – is also a ticket aspirant. He had held the Channapatna seat since 1999 before being unseated in the 2018 Assembly polls by Kumaraswamy. The JD(S) bigwig retained the segment against Yogeshwar in 2023. However, Kumaraswamy, at the BJP high command’s insistence, contested from the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency and won. Following this, he landed a berth in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet.

Therefore, he had to quit as the Channapatna, necessitating a by-poll. Moreover, the father-son duo flayed Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar for his recent comments in Channapatna taluk. Shivakumar has been spending a lot of time in Channapatna and ensuring service delivery in the taluk in the lead up to the by-polls. “The Deputy CM didn’t know where Channapatna was. Now, he has come down because there is a by-election. He has put a huge flex saying he has brought funds. Kumaraswamy never advertised that he got Rs 1,500 crore for Channapatna,” Nikhil said.