BJP slams Karnataka govt for ballot paper move; says Congress ''self-certifies vote theft''
Bengaluru (PTI): Taking a swipe at the Congress government in Karnataka, the opposition BJP on Friday claimed the state cabinet’s decision to use ballot papers instead of EVMs in the next local body polls amounted to "self-certifying" that the ruling party came to power through "vote theft."
Urging the 136 Congress MLAs elected in the 2023 Assembly polls and the nine Congress MPs from the state to resign first, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra alleged, "Let them win the elections again using ballot paper, or accept that they came to power through vote theft."
The Congress government on Thursday decided to recommend to the State Election Commission (SEC) that all future panchayat and urban local body elections in Karnataka be held using ballot paper instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil had cited "erosion of public confidence and credibility in EVMs as the reason for the cabinet decision."
The cabinet also authorised the SEC to "prepare, revise and, if necessary, redo" the electoral rolls for local body polls, citing discrepancies and allegations of "vote theft."
Vijayendra, in a post on 'X', claimed, "The highest number of illegal voting, complaints of vote theft, incidents of election violence, and complaints about irregularities in the country have been registered in the courts during elections held on ballot papers—and that too against Congressmen."
"The people of the country have not forgotten that Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency due to the court’s verdict in the wake of vote theft and election malpractices by her," he alleged.
Alleging that the Congress, "an expert in vote theft and election malpractices using ballot papers," was in disarray due to continuous electoral defeats, he said Rahul Gandhi was creating a "childish controversy in the name of 'vote theft', putting forward a baseless, immature and twisted argument."
"To support this, the ruling Congress government in the state has decided to conduct elections using ballot papers," he added.
"While the entire country and the world are moving rapidly based on technology, the Congress government in Karnataka is insulting technology," he claimed.
According to Vijayendra, Congress under Rahul Gandhi supports ballot-based elections only because "electoral irregularities, booth violence and fraudulent voting can be committed without hesitation" through ballot papers.
"The Congress government in Karnataka is going to take the first step to implement it. The Congress’s agenda and goal is to defy the democratic system and transparent elections," he alleged.
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Road crash in UP leaves 10 dead
Lakhimpur Kheri (UP) (PTI): Ten people were killed when a van collided head-on with a truck on the Sisaiya-Lakhimpur national highway on Monday, police said.
The van was going to Sisaiya from Lakhimpur when the accident took place between Unchgaon and Bharehta villages.
Circle Officer of Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh, said all nine passengers travelling in the van and the driver were killed.
District Magistrate of Lakhimpur Kheri Anjani Kumar Singh told reporters that the van collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction, leading to nine casualties on the spot, while one succumbed to injuries at the district hospital.
Circle Officer, Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh told PTI, "Efforts are on to establish the identity of other deceased persons."
The seven of the deceased have been identified as Jaideep Singh (25), Pawan (23), Sohan (21), Ram Goyal (42), Sahajram (35), Pappu (18), all residents of Bahraich district and Adnan Khan (15), a resident of Lakhimpur Kheri district, police said.
Condoling the loss of lives in the accident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a post on X, said, "The loss of life in the unfortunate road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply distressing and heart-wrenching. My condolences are with the bereaved families."
"I have directed the local administration to provide prompt and adequate assistance to the injured and the victims. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant the departed souls a place at His divine feet and to bestow a speedy recovery upon the injured," Adityanath said on X.
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak too condoled the loss of lives in the accident.
"The loss of lives resulting from the road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply tragic and heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences go out to the bereaved families," Maurya said.
