The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : It was chaos near Raj Bhavan

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Sunday, Oct 28, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

It was chaos near Raj Bhavan

Special Correspondent

Party workers clamour to be allowed to enter the premises

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Celebratory mood: Supporters of the BJP and the JD(S) waiting outside the gates of the Raj Bhavan on Saturday.

BANGALORE: Even as the latest political drama was unfolding inside the Raj Bhavan on Saturday, there was quite a chaos outside.

Workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (S) were massed at gates of the Governor’s residence. Over 200 people wanted to be let inside to witness their leaders presenting to Governor Rameshwar Thakur the letter staking claim to form the government.

The security personnel manning the gates had been instructed to allow only five people from each party. The JD(S) was represented by the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, State party president Merajuddin Patel, general secretary Y.S.V. Datta and the former Ministers N. Cheluvarayaswamy and Zameer Ahmed. The BJP delegation comprised general secretary H.N. Ananth Kumar, the former Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, senior party leader M. Venkaiah Naidu, State president D.V. Sadananda Gowda and the former Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu.

The party workers got into an argument with the security personnel, and some of them even threatened to break the cordon, but the gates were closed.

Traffic hold-up

Further down the road there were problems for the traffic police. With the BJP and JD(S) leaders and workers heading for the Raj Bhavan, the police had made alternative traffic arrangements and the traffic lights had been switched off. As a result traffic from the Vidhana Soudha side bunched up at Thimmaiah Circle and Balekundri Circle. Traffic coming from Cubbon Road, Mahatma Gandhi Road and Kasturba Road piled up at Minsk Circle.

The police were not taking chances and they removed all the vehicles parked outside the Raj Bhavan.

Many school buses and others carrying factory workers were stranded.

Rain sent the political party workers running for cover, decongesting the area.

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