It's Kateel vs Joshi for BJP State president post

July 18, 2012

Bangalore, July 18: The tug-of-war between BJP leaders in Karnataka has continued with Mangalore MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and Dharwad MP Pralhad Joshi emerging as strong contenders for the post of State Bharatiya Janata Party president.

The need for choosing a new president has arisen as incumbent president K S Eshwarappa has become Deputy Chief Minister. Mr. Eshwarappa has to give up the party post as party norms do not allow a person to hold two important positions simultaneously.

The party is likely to choose the new president within a week.

While Mr. Kateel is being preferred by the party organisation, especially those from the camp of the former Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Mr. Joshi is said to have the strong backing of party national general secretary Ananth Kumar.

While Mr. Kateel hails from the coastal belt, Mr. Gowda's native region, Mr. Joshi belongs to Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar's home district of Hubli-Dharwad.

Though Social Welfare Minister A. Narayanaswamy's name is also being considered, the choice appears to have narrowed down to Mr. Kateel and Mr. Joshi.

Some of the staunch supporters of Mr. Gowda have been demanding that he should be given the party president's post as a mark of respect for vacating the chief ministerial post.

But party sources made it clear that the chances of Mr. Gowda becoming party State president were remote going by the caste and community equations of its top leaders, as already R. Ashok, who is a Vokkaliga, has been elevated to the post of Deputy Chief Minister.

Meanwhile, the group of dissident MLAs, who have raised a banner of rebellion against the party leadership over not giving them ministerial berths, is meeting in Bangalore on Wednesday to decide their future course of action.

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No relief for Siddaramaiah in MUDA case as HC junks plea against Governor's sanction

News Network

September 24,2024

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday dismissed the petition filed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah against Governor Thawarchand Gehlot's decision to sanction the complaint and investigation against him in the alleged Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam case.

Justice M Nagaprasanna said the facts narrated in the petition would undoubtedly require an investigation.

The court has also said that the Governor's order approving sanction to investigate against Siddaramaiah under section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act does not suffer from application of mind, instead has abundance of application of mind.

Meanwhile, the court rejected the request made by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi to stay the order of the court. The court has vacated the interim order passed on August 19. In the interim order the trial court was directed not to take any precipitative action against Siddaramaiah. On August 17, Governor had approved sanction under section 17 A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 218 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita ( BNSS), citing three applications.

The court said the private complainants were justified in registering the complaint and seeking approval from the governor.

Insofar as private complainants seeking sanction under section 17A, the court said the provision nowhere requires only a police officer to seek sanction from a competent authority. The court further said it is in fact the duty of the private complainants to seek such approval.

Earlier, The High Court had completed its hearing in the case on September 12, and reserved its orders. It had also directed a special court in Bengaluru to defer further proceedings and not to take any precipitative action against the Chief Minister.

The case pertains to allegations that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife B M Parvathi in an upmarket area in Mysuru that had higher property value as compared to the location of her land that had been "acquired" by MUDA.

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