I am a strong ticket aspirant for Channapatna bypolls, says BJP MLC CP Yogeeshwara
Bengaluru, Aug 12: BJP MLC C P Yogeeshwara on Monday said he was a strong ticket aspirant for Channapatna Assembly bypolls and expressed hope that his party leadership along with alliance partner JD(S) will field him as their joint candidate.
He said in case he fails to get a ticket, he will contest as an independent, and wants to be back in the NDA fold later.
The JD(S) joined the BJP-led NDA in September last year, and the two parties contested the recent Lok Sabha polls in an alliance.
Channapatna bypoll is necessitated as the seat fell vacant following the election of its representative -- JD(S) leader and now Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy -- to Lok Sabha.
The byelection schedule is yet to be announced by the Election Commission.
"I'm also a strong aspirant for the Channapatna bypolls. Kumaraswamy and I have been traditional rivals politically", he told reporters here, noting that he was JD(S) leader's "closest opponent" in the 2023 Assembly polls. "There have been 10,000-15,000 votes difference in every election, so it's my claim that the seat vacated by him should be given to me."
Kumaraswamy's actor-turned-politician son Nikhil Kumaraswamy's name is also doing the rounds. Nikhil had lost the 2023 Assembly polls from neighbouring Ramanagara Assembly segment.
Kumaraswamy had won the Channapatna seat in 2018 and 2023. Before that Yogeeshwara had represented the seat from BJP and Samajwadi Party. He had earlier also represented the seat both as an independent and from the Congress.
Indications are that either Shivakumar or his brother D K Suresh, a former Congress MP who lost from Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha segment, may be fielded in Channapatna.
BJP central leadership has reportedly asked Yogeeshwara to come to New Delhi.
Yogeeshwara said he is confident that Kumaraswamy will agree to give him the ticket.
"With a lot of confidence, our party leadership has made him the central Minister. In case I had not cooperated for the alliance (with JD(S)) ....it is me who first pitched for the alliance, both of us have to come together. I don't know how Kumaraswamy has taken it, but I had internally worked for the alliance, which bore fruit and he (Kumaraswamy) too has benefitted from it," he said.
Yogeeshwara said he was very clear that people of the taluk have faith in him and would ensure his victory under any symbol.
"Earlier too when the parties did not give me the ticket, people of the taluk held my hand. So, like-minded, non-political people in the taluk have formed a forum and are asking me to contest. I will go to Delhi, meet our leadership. I have positive indications from state and central leaders, let's see, Kumaraswamy may change his mind. If he agrees, good, if not let's see the road ahead," he added.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
