Candidates file nomination papers for Assembly bypolls

Twenty-four candidates, including Congress’ Rahaman Sharief and BJP’s Y A Narayanaswamy, filed their papers for the Hebbal Assembly bypoll with nominations closing on Wednesday.

In an embarrassment to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the party high command, on the eve of closure of nominations, denied his choice of candidate - Byrathi Suresh - a ticket to contest the Hebbal bypolls, favouring former Union minister C K Jaffer Sharief’s grandson Rahaman Sharief.

On Wednesday, the Rahaman Sharief was more or less isolated by all the leaders when he went to file his nomination paper, which brought to the fore the simmering discontent against his candidature.

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy and MP Rajeev Gowda were the only leaders to accompany him.

Reddy claimed that the other leaders were busy with prior engagements and hence they could not come along with Sharief.

Jaffer Sharief too was absent. He, however, had gone to his grandson’s rescue earlier in the day, when the latter had been kept waiting by Siddaramaiah for nearly one and a half hours at his official residence ‘Cauvery’.

Siddaramaiah eventually gave the duo an audience. Jaffer Sharief said the chief minister had promised to campaign for Rahaman and extend him all assistance.

Conceding that there were internal differences, Ministers G Parameshwara and Dinesh G Rao, who were present at ‘Cauvery’, said the differences had cropped up owing to severe competition among aspirants. The differences would be sorted out in “two to three days”.
Soda bottle clash When Rahaman Sharief was filing his papers, there was a minor clash between two Congress workers, with one of them hitting the other on the head with a soda bottle. The police, however, brought the situation under control.

Y A Narayanaswamy of the BJP filed his papers at the BBMP office in JC Nagar after offering pooja at Radhakrishna Temple in Sanjaynagar.

He was accompanied by several leaders, including R Ashoka, P C Mohan, Katta Subramanya Naidu, among others.

A rally was also taken out by Narayanaswamy’s supporters. Ismail Sharief of the JD(S) also filed his papers on Wednesday.

In Bidar, the Congress has given the party ticket to Rahim Khan who lost the Bidar seat by 1,800 votes in 2013.

The JD(S)’ candidate is Ayaz Khan. Khan quit the Congress and joined the JD(S) after he was denied a party ticket. In all, 11 candidates have filed their papers.

In Devadurga, the late Venkatesh Naik’s son Rajashekar Naik filed his nomination papers. Former minister Shivanagouda Naik is contesting from the BJP and Kareamma Naik from the JD(S). In all, four candidates have filed their nominations.

The scrutiny of the papers would be taken up on Thursday. January 30 is the last day for withdrawing the nomination and elections are scheduled to be held on February 13.