Cong practises vote bank politics, divides to rule: PM
Ajmer, Oct 6: In a scathing attack Saturday on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the opposition party of practising vote bank politics and dividing people to get into power.
The prime minister made the charge at a rally here just ahead of the announcement of assembly election dates for Rajasthan and four other states in November and December.
He asked people not to let the Congress get into power again.
Modi said vote bank politics is not limited to elections now.
Political parties which do vote bank politics divide the bureaucracy when they are in power and this badly affects governance, he said.
They allocate the budget as per vote bank politics and therefore overall development does not happen, he said at the meeting which marked the end of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's state-wide political `yatra'.
The Congress has established this tradition in the past 60 years, Modi said.
"With great difficulty, the country has picked the right direction now after 60 years. Don't give them another chance again, he said.
He said the Congress leaders' high command is a family and they can do politics only be revering it.
He accused the party low-level politics.
The Congress leaders were questioning the surgical strikes by the Army across the Line of Control two years ago and insulting soldiers, he said.
They should be ashamed of indulging in such politics, Modi said.
The rally marked the end of Raje's Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra', an outreach exercise by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The prime minister's rally ended shortly before the Election Commission's press conference in Delhi announcing the polling dates for Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana.
Rajasthan will go to the polls on December 7. Counting will take place in all five states on December 11, the EC announced.
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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.
