Ex-BJP MLA Subhash Guttedar, son move court seeking anticipatory bail in Aland voter fraud case
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Bengaluru (PTI): Former BJP MLA Subhash Guttedar and his son Harsha Guttedar on Wednesday moved the Special Court for People’s Representatives here seeking anticipatory bail in connection with the alleged voter list deletion case from Aland assembly constituency in Kalaburagi district.
The duo approached the court amid fears of arrest.
The Special Public Prosecutor sought time to file objections, following which the judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat adjourned the hearing to Thursday.
The Special Investigation Team, probing the case, has served notice to the father-son duo and is currently questioning Harsha Guttedar.
After intensified SIT scrutiny, Subhash Guttedar and his son filed for anticipatory bail in the special court.
The case, popularly known as the ‘Vote Chori’ (vote theft) case, pertains to allegations that thousands of names belonging to supporters of rival parties were illegally deleted from the voters’ list ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.
The deletions allegedly took place under the guise of a voter verification drive. Complaints were filed claiming that the exercise was "politically motivated" and carried out to influence the outcome of the election in Aland, where Subhash Guttedar contested on a BJP ticket.
The Aland police had registered a case based on a complaint lodged by local Congress leaders, accusing several persons, including the former MLA and his associates, of conspiring to tamper with the electoral rolls.
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BJP to fight Assam polls on twin planks of development, secure state
Guwahati (PTI): In a bid to win the Assam Assembly elections for the third time in a row, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday advised the state BJP brass to fight on twin planks: development and a secure state.
Shah, who wound up a two-day visit to Assam, held a nearly two-hour-long meeting with senior leaders of the BJP state unit at the party headquarters here, with a focus on discussing strategy for the state elections, expected in March-April.
Briefing reporters after the closed-door meeting, BJP Assam president Dilip Saikia said, "Development and a secure Assam will be our twin electoral planks."
He also said that Shah, known for his expertise in electoral politics, has offered valuable suggestions, and based on it, an action plan to retain power in the state will be formulated soon.
“Discussions were held in detail on our organisational and political calendars. Shah ji offered some very valuable suggestions, and we will implement those at the earliest…We will share more details on the action plan soon,” Saikia said.
He further said that the Union minister exhorted the state party leadership to ensure that not only do they secure a ‘massive landslide victory’ but also bag more seats than in the previous election.
The BJP currently leads a coalition government in Assam with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL), while the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) has also extended support.
In the 126-member Assembly, the BJP now has 64 legislators, while its allies AGP, UPPL and BPF have nine, seven and three memnbers, respectively. In the opposition camp, the Congress’ strength is 26, while AIUDF has 15 members and CPI(M) one. There is an Independent legislator also, belonging to Raijor Dal.
Saikia said that the party will continue to contest the state polls in coalition with its NDA allies, which was also favoured by Shah.
Dismissing reports of chinks in the ruling coalition, the Lok Sabha MP said, “As far as the NDA is concerned, we are united in Assam. There could be discussions about some issues on individual party forums.”
The saffron party has maintained that its alliance with the regional parties will continue, and formalities like seat-sharing arrangements are being worked out.
Shah, who was on his second visit to the state within a month, attended two other events in Dibrugarh and Dheamji earlier in the day. He left for West Bengal after the meeting at the Guwahati state party headquarters.
