Karnataka - Bidar   

Sindhia tours Bidar district to woo Marathi voters

Staff Correspondent

He spoke at campaign meetings at Kamal Nagar, Bhatambra, Mehkar, Hulsoor and Ghat Boral

P.G.R. Sindhia

Bidar: After the Congress, it is now the turn of the Janata Dal (Secular) to woo Marathi-speaking voters in Bidar district.

Minister for Finance and Industries Pandurang Ganapath Rao Sindhia, who is a leader of the Marathi community, was on a one-day tour of Marathi-speaking areas in the district on Thursday. Mr. Sindhia went to New Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Wednesday and came to Bidar early on Thursday.

His spoke at campaign meetings at Kamal Nagar in Aurad, Bhatambra in Bhalki, Mehkar and Hulsoor in Basavakalyan and Ghat Boral in Humnabad taluk. Voters here have traditionally favoured the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The Janata Dal (S) also takes pride in saying it has fielded Marathas for seven of the 31 seats in the zilla panchayat.

District unit president of the party Baburao Gudage told presspersons on Thursday that the party has nominated Marathas from Santhpur, Ghat Boral, Hulsoor, Kohinoor and Saigaon and two Maratha women from Parthapur and Nittur. "According to the 2001 census, Marathas constitute 25 per cent of the voters in Aurad, Bhalki, Humnabad and Basavakalyan. They play a decisive role in the elections," Mr. Gudage told presspersons.

The Janata Dal (S) has given ticket to leaders of all sections of the Scheduled Castes, while the Congress has neglected the Madiga community. Prominent Maratha leader in Bhalki Baburao Kalasdal accompanied Mr. Sindhia.

MLAs Bandeppa Kashempur, Mallikarjun Khuba, senior leaders Tatyarao Kamble, Babu Honna Nayak and others were present.

Sales tax

"Abolition of Central Sales Tax will lead to an annual loss of Rs. 4,000 crores to the State Government. The Union Government should allow us to collect a different tax if it is abolished, or it should compensate our loss," Mr. Sindhia said.

He said the Centre had come up with proposals to reduce the CST from four per cent to two per cent.

"We are not opposed to it, but we want the Centre to either compensate our loss or allow us to collect it a different tax," he said.

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