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The members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka are not on the same page over the Assembly's Winter Session venue even as the state government is all prepared to conduct the session at Suvarna Soudha in the state's Belagavi district from December 13-24.
While legislators from north Karnataka are keen to participate in the session at Belagavi as it is being held after a gap of two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, some party MLAs still want the Winter Session to be held in Bengaluru instead of Belagavi. Belagavi is a bordering district of the neighbouring state Maharashtra where seven cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus have been detected. Legislators from south Karnataka and Malnad region are hesitant, and want the session to be held in Bengaluru. Mudigere BJP legislator M.P. Kumaraswamy said if the session is held in Belagavi, the Covid infection might spread easily as multiple Omicron cases are reported in Maharashtra and Covid infection rate is also high there. Many legislators of the ruling party have also agreed with him but they are not coming out in the open as Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is determined to hold a session at Belagavi. Former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has also said that there is no issue in conducting a session in Belagavi. Meanwhile, the government is preparing to take stern measures to ensure that Covid-19 infection does not spread during the Winter Session. Covid tests have been increased, and vaccination drives are being aggressively pursued in the border district. Border area check posts are monitored closely. Minister for Revenue R. Ashok has stated that if the session is not held at Belagavi, it would send a wrong signal to the people of the state. --IANS mka/pgh ( 305 Words) 2021-12-07-22:12:13 (IANS)
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