Nitish Kumar govt being run by 4 ex-bureaucrats, CM in grip of these babus: Prashant Kishor
Patna, Sep 29: Political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, alleging that the state government was being "run by four retired bureaucrats" and the CM was in the "grip of these former babus".
Addressing a press conference here, three days ahead of floating his own political party, Kishor vowed to dislodge the JD(U) president from power.
He charged the longest-serving CM of Bihar with running his government through a handful of "retired bureaucrats".
He also claimed that the 2025 Bihar assembly polls would be fought on the issue of 'three S', that is 'sarab' (liquor), 'survey' (land) and 'smart meter', and asserted that these issues would prove to be the "final nail in the coffin for the current regime".
"The Nitish Kumar government is being run by four retired bureaucrats. The CM is in the grip of these babus. Neither Kumar nor these bureaucrats are aware of the problems being faced by the people. Kumar has changed now. He has lost his morality and is only interested in securing the chief minister's chair," Kishor alleged.
His 'Jan Suraj' initiative will become a political party on October 2.
"When we form the government after the 2025 assembly polls in Bihar, we will end the liquor ban within one hour," he said, adding that "the existing prohibition law in the state is fake".
The state has been incurring a "loss of nearly Rs 20,000 crore every year", while the "liquor mafia and officials continue to make money from illegal trade", Kishor said.
The Jan Suraj chief said he would continue to speak against the policy and was not afraid of losing votes of women.
"Whether I get votes of women or not, I will continue speaking against the liquor ban since it is not in the interest of Bihar," he said.
Kishor also said Kumar was holding on to power as if he had applied adhesive on his chair and that the BJP, as his ally, bore the brunt of his "misrule" just like Congress was also "responsible for Lalu's jungle raj".
"If RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar are responsible for the destruction of Bihar, the Congress and the BJP are to be equally blamed for the same. Both parties have been supporting Lalu and Nitish respectively for the last few years.
"It seems that the link between Nitish Kumar and the chair of the CM is unbreakable - be it any alliance. Kumar has applied Fevicol on the CM's chair that keeps him intact to it," said Kishor.
Kishor claimed that he had advised Kumar not to become CM when his party had won only 42 seats in the last assembly polls.
"But Nitish Kumar accepted the offer and became the CM. This is the bond he has with the chair of CM," he said.
He criticised both the RJD and Kumar's JD(U) for "harming the interests" of Bihar.
"The people of Bihar have witnessed both of them for 30 years. Now, I am confident that we will win in Bihar in the next year's assembly polls. We will have a comprehensive victory...If our party touches a mere majority figure in the 243-member assembly or gets 10-15 seats more than the majority, it will be a defeat for us. I will accept my defeat. We want a comprehensive victory", he said.
Kishor said the BJP would face a "humiliating defeat in the coming polls as the saffron party is witnessing a leadership crisis in Bihar".
"People don't know who is the present state BJP chief. Not even ten per cent of citizens can recognise him by face," 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.
