Hiriyur: Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Tuesday asked people of Dharmapura hobli to deliver at least 15,000 votes in the upcoming by-election in Hiriyur constituency and said the demand for a separate taluk was being examined, according to a release from his media team. He was speaking after laying the foundation stone for a new KSRTC bus stand at Dharmapura in Hiriyur taluk, Chitradurga district, built at a cost of ₹3.5 crore, he said.
By-election remarks
“This time, you must ensure that Dharmapura Hobli alone delivers at least 15,000 votes in the by-election,” Shivakumar said. He said that although he is no longer the Congress party president, he had commissioned four surveys to identify the most suitable candidate for the by-election. “I myself am your candidate. D.K. Shivakumar is your candidate,” he said, adding that the people of Dharmapura are “the protectors of Dharma” and should vote for the party committed to serving them. The release did not name a candidate or give a date for the poll.
He said the by-election results in Channapatna, Shiggaon and Sandur showed the people had rejected the sons of two former chief ministers, and asked supporters to tell leaders of other parties that “their parties have no future” and that the Congress government would return to power in 2028. He urged the BJP and JD(S) to contest the by-election jointly.
Separate taluk
“You have raised the demand for a separate taluk, and we are examining your request,” Shivakumar said. He said he had considered which hoblis should be included and what population a new taluk should have. No decision was announced.
Projects and funds he cited
- Orders have been issued for projects worth ₹2,200 crore through various departments, with Minister Eshwar Khandre taking the initiative to see them carried out; a list of road needs of every town and village has been prepared.
- The irrigation project the taluk had sought has been approved, tenders invited and water released on a trial basis, he said.
- A grant of ₹5 crore was sanctioned for a Vokkaliga community hall, with grants to follow for Golla, Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Backward Classes halls and a Kanaka Bhavana. Community halls for 14 villages and infrastructure worth ₹7 crore have been sanctioned.
- The state plans to distribute five lakh housing sites to landless people this year, using private land where government land is unavailable.
- Free power for farmers’ pump sets costs ₹22,000 crore a year, which rose to ₹30,000 crore this year because of drought; more than 200 taluks have been declared drought-affected.
Upper Bhadra and other claims
Shivakumar said the ₹5,300 crore announced for the Upper Bhadra Project in the Union Budget when Basavaraj Bommai was chief minister had not been released so far, and asked with what moral authority BJP and JD(S) leaders sought votes. He also said the Centre had not released any drought funds, and listed the five guarantee schemes as delivered.
These are the Chief Minister’s statements as given in the release from his media team. The release did not give details of the surveys he mentioned.
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