Maharashtra CM announces survey by state commission to assess backwardness of Marathas
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said the state Commission for Backward Classes will conduct a survey from January 23 to asses the social, economic and educational backwardness of the Maratha community.
The Maratha community has been demanding reservation in government jobs and education under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category.
The chief minister on Saturday directed the administration to carry out the survey in three different shifts on a war footing.
Shinde chaired a meeting on the Maratha reservation issue at his official residence here and gave instructions to divisional commissioners, collectors, commissioners of municipal corporations and other senior officials via a video link.
The survey announcement came on the day when Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange embarked on a protest march to state capital Mumbai from Jalna with thousands of supporters.
Jarange has announced to launch an indefinite fast for the Maratha quota in Mumbai from January 26.
He has demanded the issuance of blanket Kunbi (OBC) caste certificates to all Marathas.
At the meeting, Shinde directed officials to inform villagers about the survey exercise and share details with gram panchayat offices.
"In order to check the social, economic and educational backwardness of the Maratha community, the state Commission for Backward Classes is going to start a survey on a war footing from January 23. This work should be given the top priority and the survey should be carried out accurately with punctuality," the chief minister said.
The survey will be conducted from January 23 to January 31, which will cover Maratha and non-Maratha open categories.
An estimated 2.50 crore families will be surveyed. Renowned institutions like the Gokhale Institute in Pune and IIPS will assist in carrying out this exercise, the chief minister said.
Ajit Ranade of the Pune-based Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics said more than 1.25 lakh enumerators, including teachers, gram sevaks, anganwadi workers and talathis, will be engaged for the survey, which will be completed in about eight days.
He also said that the training for enumerators started on Saturday in 36 districts, 27 municipalities and seven cantonment areas.
Shinde also asked the administration to carry out the training of enumerators and officers properly and maintain a daily record.
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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.
