Basavakalyan Assembly constituency in Bidar district, which would face the byelection on April 17, saw hectic political activities on the last day for filing nominations on Tuesday as many candidates held multiple rallies and public meetings and filed their nomination papers. The town also witnessed Congress and BJP leaders verbally attacking each other’s party in their respective public meetings.
BJP candidate Sharanu Salagar, a Kalaburagi-based Lingayat leader, whose candidature had faced stiff resistance from local party leaders who were denied the party ticket, managed to mobilise around 10,000 people to show his local support. He filed his nomination papers at about 11 a.m. and again at 3 p.m. He addressed the emotionally-charged crowd at Shantiniketan Grounds before filing his nomination papers for the second time. Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Housing Minister V. Somanna, Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Chauhan, Lok Sabha member from Bidar Bhagwanth Khuba and other party leaders addressed the gathering elucidating why Mr. Salagar was preferred as party candidate over 16 local aspirants. Legislators from BJP B.G. Patil, Dattatreya Patil Revoor, Rajkumar Patil Telkur, Basavaraj Mattimud, BJP SC Morcha State vice-president Ambaraya Ashtagi and other party leaders participated in the public meeting.
Congress candidate Mallamma Narayan Rao, the widow of sitting MLA B. Narayan Rao whose death necessitated the by-election, also filed her nomination papers on the same day. P.G.R. Sindhia who joined Congress just then and Humnabad MLA Rajashekhar Patil accompanied her while she filed her nomination papers. The Congress also held a huge public meeting and a rally mobilising around 10,000 people to show its strength. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President D.K. Shivakumar, KPCC working President Eshwar B. Khandre, MLA Zameer Ahmad Khan, Rajya Sabha member Nasir Hussein and other party leaders addressed the public meeting held at Ther Maidan before the Congress candidate filed her nomination papers.
The last-minute efforts from Mr. Somanna and Mr. Bhagwanth Khuba to douse the dissent and prevent Mr. Mallikarjun Khuba, the BJP leader who rebelled against the leadership after he was denied the party ticket, from filing his nomination papers as an Independent candidate failed. Mr. Mallikarjun Khuba, filed his nomination papers as an Independent candidate mobilising around 2,000 party workers to show his strength.
M.G. Mule, who quit JD(S) and joined the Nationalist Congress Party also filed his nomination papers.
