BJP appoints poll managers ahead of Assembly elections
New Delhi, Oct 3 : The BJP on Wednesday appointed three senior Central Ministers as poll managers for Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana.
BJP President Amit Shah appointed Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan as party's election incharge for Madhya Pradesh, Prakash Javadekar for Rajasthan and Health Minister J.P. Nadda for Telangana, a party statement said.
In Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, where elections are due by the end of this year, the BJP and the Congress will be in direct contest. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao dissolved the Assembly nearly nine months before its term was to end to clear the way for early elections. Elections in Telangana are likely in January or February.
New appointments in BJP's West Bengal unit, where ruling TMC and the BJP are at loggerheads, were also announced. Former Trinamool Congress leader and Union Minister Mukul Roy, who joined the BJP last year, was appointed coordinator of election management committee of the party.
The BJP has appointed RSS pracharak Arvind Menon as co-incharge of West Bengal. Menon served as BJP's General Secretary (Organisation) in Madhya Pradesh and will now work under party General Secretary Kailash Vijaywargiya.
The BJP has been ruling Madhya Pradesh since 2003 after ousting the Digvijay Singh government of the Congress from power.
The BJP is ruling Rajasthan since 2013 when it swept the polls by bagging 163 of the 200 assembly seats under the leadership of present Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.
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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.
