Congress efforts on Rafale deal will fall flat: Athawale
Kolkata, Sep 27 : The Congress campaign against the Modi government on the Rafale deal will fall flat and the BJP will win more than 300 seats in the 2019 general elections, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said on Thursday.
Accusing Congress President Rahul Gandhi of repeatedly making "baseless allegations" against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the fighter jet deal with France, the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment claimed that such campaigns will not reap much benefit for either Gandhi or his party as its seats tally in 2019 will not cross 70.
"The Rafale issue is being blown out of proportion. Rahul Gandhi is making abusive statements about the Prime Minister. He has even called Modi ji a thief. But if he wants to have people and leaders of other parties by his side, he has to desist from making such baseless allegations," Athawale told reporters here.
"The Congress can get close to 60-70 seats in 2019 but their tally will not cross 70. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which won 282 seats in 2014, will get more than 300 seats this time. The NDA alliance will form the government and Modi ji will become the Prime Minister again because the developmental work under this government has been unprecedented," the Republican Party of India (RPI) leader claimed.
"The BJP will also win significant number seats in Bengal. The BJP is doing well in Bengal politics. We will continue our alliance with the BJP. My party has good infrastructure in 17 Bengal districts," 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.
