BENGALURU: A large number of people, more than the 100-people norm specified by the government for closed spaces to beat Covid, attended the swearing-in of newly elected Members of Legislative Council (MLCs) at the Banquet Hall of Vidhana Soudha on Thursday.
Twenty out of 25 MLCs elected from local bodies took oath. Of them, Vijayapura BJP MLC PH Pujar did not attend as he has tested positive for Covid virus and is under home isolation. Covid norm violations occurred even as Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, his cabinet colleagues and leader of opposition Siddaramaiah attended the event.
KPCC president DK Shivakumar, despite being at the event, raised objection to the way the government conducted the programme. “What was Home Minister Araga Jnanendra doing? The swearing-in should have been done either virtually or inside the chambers of the Council chairman,” he said.
As per new Covid guidelines announced by the government, not more than 100 people in closed auditoriums and not over 200 people in an open field can attend events. But the Banquet Hall, which had seating capacity for 800, overflowed with the new members, their families, supporters and top political leaders.
Council authorities had issued passes to only 400 people, stating that one MLC can bring 10 members, but there were more than the specified number at the venue. “Even when the chief minister entered the hall, there were nearly 30 people accompanying him. The police were helpless,” an official said.
Of the 25 newly-elected MLCs, five -- PH Pujar, Congress’ Sunilgouda Patil from Vijayapura dual seat, Bhimrao Basavaraj Patil from Bidar and M L Anil Kumar from Kolar and JDS’ Dr Suraj Revanna -- did not attend the swearing-in, citing personal reasons. Sources said that some of these MLCs, especially Suraj, did not want to be sworn-in as it is the inauspicious Dhanurmasa or Shoonyamasa.