Bengaluru, July 10: Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said that the government has taken the incident where a 14-year-old girl swept away in flood water while crossing Dodlimane stream on foot-bridge near Kendalubailu in Thirthahalli taluk, seriously and suitable compensation would be provided to the deceased family.

Responding to the question raised by BJP MLA Araga Jnanendra during Zero Hour in the Session here on Tuesday, the CM said that in order to find permanent solutions to the problems in Malnad region, he would resume his village stay programme after the Session. He has directed the authorities to give Rs 10 lakh compensation to the family of the girl. Authorities concerned were directed to take all measures to see to it that no such incidents would happen in future, he said.

The government would provide Rs 500 crore for repairing the 102 government first grade college buildings and Rs 250 crore for providing basic infrastructure and building for primary schools in the state. Steps would be taken to provide all basic facilities to the government schools in Malnad region.

- HD Kumaraswamy, Chief Minister



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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.