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BJP releases 82 more names for Karnataka Assembly polls (Lead)
New Delhi/Bengaluru, April 16 (IANS) The BJP on Monday released its second list of 82 candidates for the May 12 elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly, including G. Somashekar Reddy who is the younger brother of Bellary mining baron G. Janardhan Reddy.
Otr prominent candidates in the second list are former BJP Ministers Murgesh Nirani, Hartalu Halappa, M.P. Renukacharya, Krishnaiah Shetty, and K. Subramanya Naidu and Kumar Bangarappa, who switched over from the ruling Congress and is the son of former Chief Minister S. Bangarappa.
The names of the candidates — all men — were finalised on Sunday in Delhi by the BJP Central Election Committee headed by party President Amit Shah and including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda.
The party had released on April 8 its first list of 72 candidates, including three women.
“The third list of 70 candidates will be released in 2-3 days as their winning prospects are being evaluated,” Bharatiya Janata Party state Spokesman S. Shantaram told IANS in Bengaluru.
“As candidates are selected on the basis of their winnability, the party has not considered the caste, gender, and other factors,” said Shantaram, but hoped the third list would have some women candidates.
In the 2013 Assembly elections, the party fielded eight women though only one — Shashikala Jolle from Nippani won.
“All 40 sitting legislators of the BJP have been re-nominated to contest. So also those who lost in the 2013 elections,” he said.
The BJP also cleared the names of 10 legislators, including six from the breakaway Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) and four from the BSR Congress who rejoined the party.
The party’s chief ministerial face B.S. Yeddyurappa, who broke away from the BJP in 2012 and formed the KJP ahead of the 2013 elections, rejoined the party in January 2014 and was elected to the Lok Sabha from Shivamogga in Malnad area.
“Most of our candidates lost in the last elections as our traditional votes were split between the BJP and KJP, benefiting the Congress,” Shantaram said.
Winning 122 seats, nine more than the halfway mark (113), the Congress returned to power after a decade in the May 2013 elections.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.