Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Apr 15: “Policing and politics are two different things,” said the former Bengaluru police commissioner Bhaskar Rao, now a BJP candidate in the state Assembly elections for Chamrajpet constituency in Bengaluru.
The retired IPS officer has no qualms in saying that he would seek the help of a history-sheeter” to get elected. “Policing and politics are two different things. I cannot be doing a policing job when I am in politics. It is a different chapter and we need to respect every individual (to whom) the Constitution has provided rights. The police chapter is over.”
He said it was nothing unusual in seeking the help of a known rowdy, Sunil alias ‘Silent’ Sunil, to get elected, now that he is on the other side of the ropes as a poll contestant. He maintained his stand as the BJP said it was distancing itself from the alleged criminal as it earned the party a bad name.
Till recently the Karnataka vice-president of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Rao only recently moved to the BJP and was given the ticket from Chamrajpet constituency in Bengaluru. But ‘Silent’ Sunil, who has been appearing at BJP public events recently and nursing the Chamrajpet constituency to make the leap into politics, expected the ticket, and his supporters didn’t hide their displeasure the moment the news came of Rao’s nomination.
It was when asked about these protests that Rao said that he was ready to seek Sunil’s help as well. Incidentally, Rao’s first choice was apparently a seat in Basavanagudi area, which has a large Brahmin population (Rao is a Madhwa Brahmin) and where the BJP is considered strong. Chamrajpet in contrast, comprises a significant Muslim and backward class population. Plus, it is a stronghold of Congress leader B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, who has won four times from here (thrice on JD-S ticket). The last time a BJP candidate won from Chamarajpet was lawyer and women rights activist Pramila Nesargi in 1994.
A BJP leader said they wanted to accommodate Rao as he had shifted sides from the AAP on the assurance of a ticket. Plus, the party wanted to keep off Sunil, as association with him was seen as giving the party a bad image. With a record going back to 1996, Sunil has about 17 cases against him, including three murders, extortion and dacoity. In December 2022, even while “absconding” as per police records, Sunil had attended a statehood day event in Chamarajpet where he shared the dais with BJP MPs Tejasvi Surya and P C Mohan.
The Opposition outcry that followed had led the BJP to distance itself from Sunil, though he continued to pursue a ticket. Police officials refuse to comment on record on the cases against Sunil, several of which are pending now in courts.
Meanwhile, in the Congress which released its third list of 43 candidates on Saturday, the former deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi who joined the party from the BJP, was given the ticket for Athani constituency in Belagavi district. Now, the party has to release candidates for the remaining 15 constituencies.
In another interesting development, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has been denied ticket to contest from the second constituency Kolar. With this, Siddaramaiah has to contest from only one constituency, Varuna in Mysuru district. The party has fielded Kothur G Manjunath from Kolar. AICC former president Rahul Gandhi would address a major public rally in Kolar on Sunday.
In Arasikere, K M Shivalinge Gowda, who quit the JD(S) and joined the Congress a few days ago, has been fielded to contest the poll. He was elected to the Assembly in 2018 on the JD(S) ticket. A well-known Kannada actor and former minister Umashree too had been denied ticket from Terdal constituency in Bagalkot district. Siddapppa Ramappa Konnur has been given the ticket to contest polls.
The Congress has announced tickets to at least 16 fresh faces in the third list. They include former Union Minister and Opposition’s nominee for the Vice President polls Margaret Alva’s son Nivedit Alva, and former state Minister Motamma’s daughter Nayana Jyothi Jhawar.
The party on March 25 announced the first list of 124 candidates, and second list for 42 constituencies (including in Melukote where it’s backing a candidate of a different party) on April 6.
The Congress has not announced a candidate to Shiggaon Assembly segment yet from where Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is the BJP candidate. Speculations are rife that Congress is planning to field a strong candidate against Bommai, and is considering fielding former Minister Vinay Kulkarni, who has already got a ticket from Dharwad.
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