Show of strength by the Congress and BJP marked the filing of nominations for the April 9 byelections to the Legislative Assembly from Nanjangud (Reserved) and Gundlupet constituencies on Monday. Minor violence was reported between party workers in Gundlupet.
While the Congress and BJP held separate roadshows with sloganeering in Nanjangud, trouble broke out in Gundlupet town when supporters of the two rival parties indulged in stone throwing, forcing the police to resort to lathi charge.
Chamarajanagar district Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Kumar Jain told The Hindu that police was forced to cane supporters of both parties after they began throwing footwear and stones at each other. In the melee, six BJP supporters, four Congress supporters and three police personnel suffered minor injuries, he said. Congress candidate Geetha Mahadev Prasad, who arrived at the taluk office in Gundlupet with a large number of supporters, filed her nomination papers after BJP candidate C.S. Niranjan came in a grand procession and filed nomination.
With the bypolls considered a battle of prestige for the ruling Congress and BJP, both parties sought to make the nomination filing exercise a show of strength. With the JD(S) choosing to remain out of fray in both constituencies, the Congress and BJP will be locked in a straight fight.
In Nanjangud, Congress candidate Keshavamurthy offered prayers at Prasanna Ganapathi temple before taking out a grand procession in an open jeep, accompanied by party leaders H.C. Mahadevappa, R. Dhruvanarayan and Dinesh Gundu Rao. Subsequently, the BJP staged a roadshow with party candidate V. Srinivas Prasad, accompanied by BJP leaders including B.S. Yedyurappa and V. Somanna.
Avoiding ‘inauspicious’ Tuesday?
The Congress as well as BJP candidates filed their nomination papers on Monday, a day before the last date on March 21.
The candidates and their supporters said they chose Monday to file nominations as they considered it to be “auspicious”. Clearly, the candidates did not choose Tuesday, considered by many to be an “inauspicious” day.
Scrutiny of papers is scheduled for March 22, and deadline for withdrawal of nomination is March 24. Counting of votes is scheduled for April 13.
