We will answer politics with politics: Lakshmi Hebbalkar responds to Governor’s nod for prosecution
Belagavi: In response to the Governor granting permission for the prosecution of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with the Muda scam, Women and Child Development Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar stated that there is no question of the Chief Minister resigning. She accused the opposition of using the case for political gain and asserted that the Congress would respond in kind.
Speaking to reporters, Hebbalkar highlighted that the investigation is being led by a retired judge and that no report has been issued yet. She claimed that the constitutional powers have been misused for political motives.
"I will not speculate on whether the Chief Minister will resign if he is arrested. Every time a non-BJP government comes to power, we see this kind of harassment. All Congress MLAs and Ministers stand firmly behind the Chief Minister, and there is no question of him stepping down," Hebbalkar stated.
She also drew a distinction between this case and the one involving former BJP Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, stating that Yediyurappa was betrayed by his own party members.
Hebbalkar reiterated that the Congress is a disciplined party and that Siddaramaiah, who has maintained a spotless political career for 40 years, is being unfairly targeted.
"The people of Karnataka have entrusted us with 5 years of safe governance, and we intend to fulfill that mandate," Hebbalkar concluded.
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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.
