Ambedkar-Owaisi alliance is 'BJP's B-Team': Shiv Sena
Mumbai, Oct 3 : The alliance between Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh and All India Majlis Ittehadul-e-Muslimeen (AIMIM), announced in Maharashtra on October 2, would prove to be the 'B-Team of the BJP', said Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday.
Terming the political partnership between BBM-AIMIM as undesirable, he said as of now, it is quite difficult to predict how it could impact the political scenario during the 2019 elections.
"However, if BRP President Prakash Ambedkar was really interested in defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party, then it was not expected of him to join hands with a party (AIMIM) which follows the ideals of the Muslim League," Raut said.
He said there is speculation that the BBM-AIMIM alliance has been engineered by the BJP to deprive the Congress of the Dalit-Muslim votes in the next elections.
Raut said that though Ambedkar is the grandson of the architect of Indian Constitution, B.R. Ambedkar, in the past several elections, the Ambedkarites don't seem to have supported him much. "And now this partnership is with a party having divergent views compared to B.R. Ambedkar's."
The Sena's Rajya Sabha MP also pointed out that now the Ambedkarites are "a highly aware and awakened community" which would not easily accept the alliance.
"I doubt if this alliance will be of much benefit," Raut said.
Marking a new political dimension in Maharashtra, Owaisi and Ambedkar on Tuesday addressed a massive joint rally in Aurangabad to announce the alliance, saying they wanted 'freedom' from the BJP government led by Prime Minister Modi as his followers have committed atrocities on both Dalis and minorities.
They also said that the plight of Dalits and Muslims remains unchanged with a majority continuing to live below the poverty line, even facing oppression of the authorities.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
