Trump campaign files for recount of votes in Georgia
Washington: The Trump Campaign has filed a petition for recount of votes in Georgia, days after US President-elect Joe Biden wrested the Republican stronghold by a little over 12,000 votes.
Democrat Biden became the first Democrat to have won the key battleground state since 1992 after a hand recount of nearly five million votes, that lasted for several days.
Georgia hadn't voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Bill Clinton in 1992. In case of a recount, election officials in Georgia will have to re-scan the five million hand-recounted and audited legal ballots.
We are focused on ensuring that every aspect of Georgia State Law and the US Constitution are followed so that every legal vote is counted. President Trump and his campaign continue to insist on an honest recount in Georgia, which has to include signature matching and other vital safeguards, the Trump campaign said in a late-night statement on Saturday.
Without signature matching, this recount would be a sham and again allow for illegal votes to be counted. If there is no signature matching, this would be as phony as the initial vote count and recount, said the statement issued by the legal team of the campaign.
Let's stop giving the people false results. There must be a time when we stop counting illegal ballots. Hopefully it is coming soon, said the campaign, a day after Georgia Secretary of State, who is also from the same Republican Party, officially certified the election results which was narrowly won by Biden.
After initial counting of votes in the state, Biden was leading by about 14,000 votes, which prompted the Georgia Secretary of State to order a hand recount which reduced Biden's lead slightly to 12,284. Georgia has 16 electoral college votes.
President-elect Biden has secured 306 electoral votes as compared to Trump's 232. To win the race to the White House, the successful candidate should have at least 270 electoral votes out of the 538-member Electoral College.
Trump won Georgia by 5 percentage points in 2016 over Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump has refused to concede the election results and has filed multiple lawsuits challenging poll results in several states.
Can't accept the results of an election with hundreds of thousands of fraudulent votes cast, enough to easily flip the Election. You're just unhappy that I'm bringing the troops back home where they belong! Trump said in a tweet Saturday night.
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Siddaramaiah, I will abide by Cong high command decision on leadership issue, says Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday said both he and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will abide by any decision takeb by the Congress high command on the leadership issue in the state.
Speaking to reporters after returning from Delhi, the Congress state president said, he has full faith in the party leadership and that it would take an approapriate decision at the appropriate time.
The remarks comes amid speculations within the party and political circles about a possible leadership change and cabinet reshuffle after May 4, when the results for assembly elections in four states and one union territory, along with bypolls to two assembly segments in the Karnataka are announced.
"I will not speak about political issues before the media. I have already said that when the time comes you will get to know. So I will not tell you," Shivakumar said in response to a question on discussions with the Congress high command during his Delhi visit over the last couple of days.
He asserted that there are no issues within the party, and whatever has been already decided will take place accordingly.
Responding to a question on senior Minister Satish Jarkiholi's reported statement about internal differences, the Deputy CM said, "nothing like that, they (high command) will do what they have to do at the appropriate time."
"There are no issues, we have faith in our party, they will do what they have to," he added.
Asked about the issue of leadership change as the government is about to complete three years in office, Shivakumar said, "... I have never discussed this issue. The CM and I have both said that we will accept whatever and whenever the high command decides, and we will abide by it."
He declined to comment when asked whether any "good news" can be expected by his birthday on May 15.
The leadership tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculation about a possible change of chief minister after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, 2025. The speculation has been fuelled by the reported "power-sharing" arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar at the time of government formation in 2023.
Responding to a question on the BJP's criticism against the Congress government over its decision on internal reservation for Scheduled Castes, alleging injustice to several communities and questioning its intent behind the revised quota formula, Shivakumar said the BJP could not do anything on internal reservation while in power, but the Congress has kept its promise.
"We have found a solution and tried to do justice to all sections among SCs. We have fulfilled the promise made and every one should go together," he said.
Shivakumar warned his party workers against erecting flex banners for his birthday on May 15.
"For May 15, I want to tell everyone that no one should put up flex banners or advertisements for my birthday. If flex are installed I will ensure that cases are registered by authorities against those responsible, whether they are party workers or followers....no one should put such things on roads, this is my personal request," he said, adding that he has asked commissioners of the city corporations to register cases and impose heavy fines.
