After single-day halt, fuel prices continue to rise
New Delhi, Sep 13: Fuel prices in the country resumed their upward movement on Thursday with prices hitting fresh highs in three of the four metro cities.
In the national capital, petrol price touched Rs 81 per litre, up from Rs 80.87 on Wednesday, according to data from the Indian Oil Corp website.
On Wednesday, prices were unchanged in three cities, except Kolkata, where fuel prices fell by a rupee after the West Bengal government cut excise duty by Re 1 per litre.
Transport fuel prices have been on a rise for around a month now, owing to higher crude oil prices coupled with a depreciating rupee. Any fall in the Indian rupee against the US dollar makes the import of crude oil expensive as the transaction is done in dollars.
Brent crude oil is currently priced over $79 per barrel. The rupee, on the other hand, slumped to a record low of 72.91 per dollar on Wednesday, before settling at 72.19 per greenback.
In Mumbai and Chennai, petrol was sold at an all-time high of Rs 88.39 and Rs 84.19 per litre respectively, both record levels, up from the previous Rs 88.26 and Rs 84.19 per litre.
In Kolkata too, the fuel price rose but did not surpass the all time high of Rs 83.75 on Tuesday. On Thursday, it was sold at Rs 82.87 in the West Bengal capital, up from the previous 82.74 per litre.
In tandem with the rise in petrol prices, diesel prices also climbed to fresh highs.
In Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, diesel prices were at record levels of Rs 73.08, Rs 77.58 and Rs 77.25 respectively, up from the previous levels of Rs 72.98, Rs 77.47 and Rs 77.13 per litre.
Diesel price in Kolkata rose to Rs 74.93, against Wednesday's 74.82 per litre. The all-time high in the city for diesel price is Rs 75.82, recorded on Tuesday.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
