Protests continue over denial of Cong, BJP tickets

Incidents of outrage by Congress and BJP ticket aspirants and their followers for not getting tickets to contest the Assembly polls were reported on Tuesday too.

Followers of MLA H P Rajesh, who was denied the Jagalur ticket (Davangere district) by the Congress, staged a protest at the Jayadeva Circle in Davangere. Thousands of his supporters, who arrived from Jagalur, burnt tyres at the Gandhi Circle. They staged a dharna in front of district in-charge Minister S S Mallikarjun’s house.

Followers of industrialist Sangamesh Nirani staged a protest in Jamakhandi, Bagalkot demanding that the BJP ticket for the Jamakhandi seat be given to their leader. Sangamesh is former minister Murugesh Nirani’s brother.

One of the protesters tried to commit suicide by jumping off a multi-storey building, while another poured kerosene on himself and tried to set himself on fire. Both were stopped from committing suicide by fellow party workers.

The BJP ticket for the Jamakhandi constituency has been given to former MLA Srikanth Kulkarni. The Congress is fielding Pushpa Lakshmana Swamy from the seat.

In the Maski constituency (Raichur), Mahadevappa Gouda Patil’s supporters staged a protest, because he was not given the BJP ticket.

In Kudligi (Ballari district), Congress workers burnt tyres at the Madakari Circle protesting against the party ticket being given to Gujjal Raghu.