First JAC meet on Delimitation begins under Stalin; BJP calls it "corruption-hiding meeting"
Chennai (PTI): The first Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting on delimitation commenced here on Saturday with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin in the chair.
The meeting saw the participation of 14 leaders from at least five states and they would deliberate on the 'threat' posed by the Lok Sabha seats delimitation exercise to states with high economic growth and literacy.
The opposition BJP, which staged a black flag protest, slammed Stalin for not convening similar meetings on the Cauvery and Mullaiperiar water-sharing disputes with Karnataka and Kerala, respectively. BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan described the meeting as "corruption hiding meeting" by the respective leaders.
Karnataka Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar said, "at any cost, we cannot let down our country and our seats to be reduced."
He claimed South India had always upheld the census regulations and family planning policies, making it a progressive region. "Economically and in terms of literacy, we have consistently led the way. We have always protected the national interest, not just our own," he said upon his arrival here.
BJP national spokesperson C.R. Kesavan said on the meeting that the DMK was staging the delimitation drama "as a divisionary tactic to deflect public attention away from DMK's corrupt, failed, disastrous misrule."
"DMK's divisive politics of fear mongering, attempting to mislead and misinform people will badly boomerang back on the DMK. Rahul Gandhi and Congress, with their mutually conflicting and contradicting stand on delimitation, are indulging in a very pathetic politics of opportunism which is utterly condemnable," Kesavan said.
Former Telangana Governor and senior BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan said the black flag protest was to safeguard the interests of people of Tamil Nadu.
She asked Stalin if he held any meetings to solve the Cauvery problem and Mullaperiyar dam issue with the Karnataka and Kerala leaders.
"So, delimitation has not been announced, and not a single word has been uttered by the central government...Home Minister Amit Shah came to Coimbatore. He had clarified that Tamil Nadu will not be affected. The Home Minister has clarified it, so on what basis are you conducting this meeting," She asked the ruling DMK chief.
This meeting was being held "to hide the corruption charges, to divide the people of the country."
"The concerned CMs who are attending the meeting are doing so to hide the misgoverance in the concerned states. There are so many corruption charges in Telangana, Kerala. Their own people will be against their CMs attending this event," she claimed while speaking to PTI Videos.
"Instead of calling this a delimitation meeting, it can be called corruption hiding meeting," she added.
Earlier, Chief Ministers of Kerala, Telangana, and Punjab--Pinarayi Vijayan, Revanth Reddy, Bhagwant Singh Mann, and working president of Shiromani Akali Dal Balwinder Singh Bhunder, and general secretary of Indian Union Muslim League Kerala P M A Salam, were among the leaders who had arrived in Chennai to take part in the meeting.
Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal and Punjab are the seven states the DMK has reached out to for the meeting.
"A historic day for Indian federalism,!" Stalin had said on the eve of the meeting.
Describing the DMK-led all-party meeting as a "landmark moment," in which as many as 58 parties participated by putting aside difference for a single cause, the chief minister had said, "this overwhelming consensus reflected Tamil Nadu’s unwavering commitment" to democracy and justice.
Further, the CM said: "Building on this historic unity, our MPs and Ministers actively engaged with leaders from other affected states, strengthening our collective resolve. What started as Tamil Nadu’s initiative has now grown into a national movement, with states across India joining hands to demand fair representation. This is a defining moment in our collective journey. This is more than a meeting—it is the beginning of a movement that will shape the future of our country. Together, we will achieve #FairDelimitation."
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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.
