Combined opposition will form govt: Congress leader Veerappa Moily
Hyderabad: A government of combined opposition parties, which consider the BJP as a "common enemy", is a "certainty" after Lok Sabha elections, senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily said Thursday.
He said the Congress prospects are "looking up very well" and it's quite evident from "desperate action, mood and statements" particularly from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and "his followers".
The former Union Minister declined to say how many seats the Congress would get in the Lok Sabha elections but said the BJP-led NDA would not get majority to form the government.
"Congress and 'other people', either pre-poll alliance or post-poll alliance, (forming government) will be a certainty," Moily told PTI."I don't think the BJP has any leeway to launch their comeback," he said.
On regional parties such as the TRS, YSRCP, SP, BSP, BJD and Trinamool Congress which are not aligned with the Congress-led UPA or NDA projected in some quarters to do well in the polls, he asked: "Ultimately, question is who is their common enemy?"
"All put together, their common enemy is Narendra Modi and BJP", he said and noted for example that YSRCP had announced it would support any party which assures to give special category status to Andhra Pradesh.
"These are all the things which will ultimately downsize the NDA," the former Karnataka Chief Minister said.
"The Congress will emerge as the party which will secure the highest number of seats. Ultimately, Modi will not be there, BJP will not be there. It's ultimately, the combined opposition which will form the government," he added.
Meanwhile, veteran Communist leader Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy said he "doubts very much" if these "neutral" regional parties would get more seats than the UPA.
"Quite likely", Reddy, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India, said when asked if he expects the UPA and some of the regional parties, who are not in the Congress-led grouping, to come together after the elections.
"There is a possibility to form an alternative government to the BJP," he added.
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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.
