BJP is wooing us as govt is in `dangerous fifth year': Shiv Sena
Mumbai, Nov 1: The Shiv Sena said Thursday that the BJP is now courting it as the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government has entered a "dangerous" fifth year.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led party, which is a partner in the BJP-led alliance in the state and Centre, also asked Fadnavis to explain in which areas, as per his claim, the state has reached number one position.
An editorial in Sena mouthpiece "Saamna" quoted Fadnavis's recent statement that a Sena-BJP alliance in the next year's Lok Sabha and state elections was necessary for preventing division of Hindutva votes.
"(Senior BJP leader and minister) Chandrakant Patil and (state BJP chief) Raosaheb Danve's new-found love for the Sena stems from the fact that the fifth year is dangerous for the Fadnavis government," it said.
It further asked if the BJP was so worried about division of Hindutva votes, why did it break up the alliance before the 2014 Assembly elections.
The two saffron parties had joined hands once again after the polls.
On Fadnavis's claim that the state has reached top spot in the country in many sectors in the last four years, the Sena sought to know, in a sarcastic tone, whether he was talking about rising inflation, unemployment and malnutrition levels.
On Fadnavis's remarks that the Sena is not unhappy, the party said he was saying so only because he wants to complete the fifth year of his government.
"We want to take forward the Sena and Maharashtra.
Sena is not born to give support to others' chairs.
Devendra-ji, do not worry about our unhappiness. People in Maharashtra are unhappy and you should worry about them," the party said.
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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.
