Opposition, NDA trade barbs over 'horse-trading' allegations in Bihar RS polls
New Delhi (PTI): Opposition parties on Tuesday alleged “horse-trading” in the Bihar Rajya Sabha elections, where all five seats were won by the BJP-led NDA, and demanded a review of the anti-defection law.
The BJP and its alliance partners rejected the allegations and said the opposition failed to manage its legislators and did not follow standard procedures of issuing a whip during voting.
"It is unfortunate that political morality has sunk to a nadir. People no longer respect the political parties that brought them into office. The time has come to seriously re-examine the anti-defection law, as allegations of horse-trading arise in every election. What used to be a retail activity has now become a mega mart operation," Congress MP Manish Tewari told reporters inside the Lok Sabha House complex.
RJD MP Sudhakar Singh alleged that the NDA secured victory by using "money power".
“Not only Tejashwi Yadav, but the entire country has levelled allegations of horse trading against the BJP. They did it in Haryana, Odisha, Bihar, and others.
"Elections are being fought without majority support, by using money power. Legislators are being broken away. This is not how a democracy should function. The anti-defection law exists precisely to prevent such actions -- that a party can only split if there is a two-thirds majority," Singh said.
Rejecting the allegations, BJP MP from Bihar's Paschim Champaran, Sanjay Jaiswal, said, “The Congress party did not issue a three-line whip, which is a standard practice during voting. Rahul Gandhi was holidaying in Cambodia, Tejashwi Yadav was vacationing in Europe --so their leaders were busy elsewhere as well. They could not even issue a whip, and now they are questioning who voted for whom.”
Defying a party whip can lead to the disqualification of a lawmaker under the anti-defection law.
JD(U) leader and Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh said that Tejashwi Yadav should introspect instead of levelling allegations.
“Tejashwi Yadav has to say something. What else can someone do after losing? He should look within his own house. Why is he unable to keep his own flock together? If you cannot manage your own house, you start blaming others.
"He had kept their MLAs confined in hotels, and even after that, he is making allegations. He needs to introspect. The people of Bihar are no longer with them. Lalu Prasad Yadav’s era is over, and he too will follow,” he said.
LJP (Ram Vilas) MP Arun Bharti said the results reflected the NDA’s unity and questioned the opposition leadership.
“We thank all NDA MLAs in Bihar who voted and ensured victory for our candidates. Earlier, the public did not trust Tejashwi Yadav and Rahul Gandhi; now even their own MLAs lack confidence in their leadership.
"They must honestly assess their leadership capacity, competence, and credibility, which are now under serious question,” he said.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and BJP national president Nitin Nabin were elected to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar on Monday when the ruling NDA made a clean sweep, clinching all five seats in the state.
Besides Kumar, who heads the JD(U), and Nabin, who is currently a member of the state assembly, the other winning candidates were Union minister Ram Nath Thakur (JDU), who made a hat-trick in the Upper House, the BJP's Shivesh Kumar, whose debut would make up for the party's lack of a Dalit face in Parliament from the state, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha president Upendra Kushwaha, who got elected for a second consecutive term.
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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.
