I have 35 yrs of experience of political campaigning: Priyanka Gandhi
Wayanad (Kerala) (PTI): Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday said that she began taking part in political campaigns in 1989 at the age of 17 years when she canvassed votes for her late father Rajiv Gandhi.
Addressing a massive gathering at Kalpetta ahead of filing nominations for the upcoming Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll, she said that in the 35 years since then, she has campaigned for her mother, Sonia Gandhi, her brother Rahul Gandhi and other party colleagues.
Her statement also comes a day after BJP's Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll candidate Navya Haridas said she was more experienced in representing people than Priyanka.
Congress Parliamentary party president Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and other senior party leaders were present on the dais during Priyanka's speech.
During her public address, Priyanka also said that she considers it an honour to be chosen to represent the people of Wayanad.
She also said that she was deeply touched by the courage shown by people of Wayanad at the time of landslides that hit the district.
Priyanka would be contesting against LDF's Sathyan Mokeri and BJP's Navya Haridas.
The by-election for Wayanad LS seat became necessary after Rahul Gandhi, who won the Lok Sabha polls from there and Rae Bareli constituency, decided to vacate Wayanad.
Voting in Wayanad will be held on November 13.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
