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Mangaluru: The by-election to the legislative council from the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi local authorities' constituency will be a contest among four candidates. An independent candidate, Muhammed Riyaz, has withdrawn his nomination on Monday, the last day for withdrawal.

Deputy commissioner Mullai Muhilan MP stated that candidates Kishore BR (BJP), Raju Poojary (Congress), Anwar Sadat S (SDPI), and Dinakar Ullal (independent) will be in the fray. 

Polling will be held at 392 booths in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts between 8am and 4pm on Oct 21.

A total of 6,032 voters from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi are eligible to vote. While there will be 234 polling booths in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi will have 158 stations. Gram panchayat members, corporators of the Mangaluru City Corporation, members of city municipal councils, town municipal councils, town panchayats, MLAs, MLCs, and Lok Sabha members are eligible to vote.

Election observer of the Election Commission of India (ECI), Pankaj Kumar Pandey, reviewed the poll preparations at the deputy commissioner's office on Monday. He issued directions to officials regarding arrangements to be made during the election and counting of votes.

The deputy commissioner stated that out of 6,032 voters, 3,127 are women and 2,905 are men. He said the counting of votes will be held at St Aloysius PU College in the city on Oct 24.

Udupi deputy commissioner Vidya Kumari K, city police commissioner Anupam Agrawal, Dakshina Kannada ZP CEO Anandh K, Dakshina Kannada SP Yathish N, Udupi SP Arun K, and additional deputy commissioners Santhosh Kumar G and Mamatha Devi were present.

Mangaluru: Forest officials successfully captured a leopard that strayed into the kitchen of a house in Akkasaligara Keri, Mulki, on the outskirts of Mangaluru, during the early hours of Sunday, October 20.

Following multiple complaints from residents about leopard sightings, forest department officials had placed cages at various locations in Mulki. According to Deputy RFO Manjunath Ganiga, locals had reported spotting a leopard in the area, prompting the department to set up a cage about a kilometer from the affected house.

At approximately 10 p.m., the leopard entered the house and made its way into the kitchen. The family quickly locked the kitchen door and contacted the forest department for assistance. The forest officials, using a cage and a net, managed to trap the leopard around 2:45 a.m. The animal was later examined by veterinarians and released back into the wild.

Locals suspect that up to three leopards may be roaming the area.

The operation to capture the leopard was led by RFO Kiran Kumar, with assistance from Deputy RFOs Nagesh Billava and Manjunath Ganiga, along with forest department staff members Chandrashekar and Shankar.

Mysuru: K. Marigowda, Chairman of the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), resigned on Wednesday, citing health issues and directions from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Marigowda, once considered a close confidant of the Chief Minister, met with Siddaramaiah earlier in the day before submitting his resignation to the Principal Secretary for Urban Development in Bengaluru. While he was unavailable for direct comment, he informed the media that the CM had instructed him to step down. "My health is not good. I’ve suffered two strokes and am unable to carry out my duties effectively," Marigowda said.

His resignation follows an incident on September 27, when he was confronted by Congress party members at Mysuru Airport in Mandakalli during Siddaramaiah's visit. Supporters of the CM, who had gathered in large numbers, accused Marigowda of being responsible for the CM’s recent difficulties. Despite his attempts to explain, they demanded he leave the premises, forcing him to depart under pressure. Marigowda had previously served as president of the Mysuru Zilla Panchayat.

The resignation also comes amid ongoing investigations by the Lokayukta Police. A case was filed on September 27 against Siddaramaiah, his wife B.M. Parvathi, brother-in-law B.M. Mallikarjuna Swamy, and J. Devaraju, following a special court directive to investigate a complaint by Mysuru-based RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna.

The case involves a 3.16-acre plot of land in Kesare (Survey No. 464) in Mysuru taluk, which Mallikarjuna Swamy gifted to Parvathi. Parvathi had requested alternative land for this Kesare property, which was developed by MUDA without acquiring it. In return, she received 14 sites in the Third and Fourth Stages of Vijayanagar.

Following the court's order, the Lokayukta Police formed four special teams on September 28. An inspection of both the original Kesare land and the 14 alternative sites in Vijayanagar was conducted in the presence of the petitioner. Mallikarjuna Swamy and Devaraju were questioned on October 10.

Additionally, an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) was filed on September 30 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Siddaramaiah and others, based on the Lokayukta FIR.

Subsequently, Parvathi requested MUDA to reclaim the 14 sites. The process began on October 1, when MUDA received a letter from Parvathi via her son, MLC Dr. Yathindra. The sites were officially returned by October 3. The Lokayukta Police investigation continues.