Black flags shown to BJP leaders in Bihar
Patna, Sep 30: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and two MPs of his party -- Bihar BJP President Nityanand Rai and Bhojpuri actor turned politician Manoj Tiwari -- were on Sunday shown black flags by Swarn Sena activists at different places in Bihar.
The protesters also shouted 'go back' slogans against Modi, Rai and Tiwari.
The Swarn Sena supporters waved black flags at Sushil Kumar Modi in Darbhanga district, following which police beat them up.
The activists of the upper castes' organisation were protesting against the restoration of the provision for immediate arrest under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act that had been removed by the March 20 Supreme Court verdict.
The apex court had ruled that there would be no automatic arrest of an accused following a complaint moved under the Act.
Rai, the Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Ujiyarpur, was shown black flags in Sitamarhi district while Tiwari, the BJP MP from Delhi, came in for similar treatment in Bhabhua, the district headquarters of Kaimur. Tiwari also hails from Bihar.
On Saturday, Union Minister Ashwani Kumar Choubey was shown black flags in Madhubani district and in Bhagalpur district on Friday.
The protesters also shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and said that though the BJP was voted to power due to their overwhelming support in 2014, the party was acting against the interests of the upper castes.
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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.
