BJP team meets former party lawmakers in Goa
Panaji, Sep 17 : A BJP central team on Monday met former Goa party lawmakers here after little headway was made over an alternative leadership in the absence of ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
A series of meetings which are being held at a hotel here, are being chaired by BJP's National General Secretary (organisation) Ram Lal and his associates B.L. Santosh and Vijay Puranik.
"We have said that the Chief Minister should continue. It will be for the good... He is undergoing treatment and will recover sooner or later. There was no discussion on whether someone else should be appointed in charge. The High Command will decide that," former Power Minister Mahadev Naik said.
On Sunday, Ram Lal and his team had met sitting Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs and allied legislators to chart out a political roadmap following Parrikar's hospitalisation at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi last week for treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer.
While all the BJP MLAs and coalition partner Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party have also rooted for Parrikar continuing as Chief Minister, another alliance partner Goa Forward and three Independent MLAs demanded a "permanent solution" to the ongoing leadership crisis.
Before the meetings on Monday, Ram Lal played down the leadership change issue insisting that the party was only discussing its preparations for the Lok Sabha polls.
"It is Lok Sabha polls preparation agenda. No leadership agenda. What is discussed in the meeting does not come out. What comes outside is not what is discussed in the meeting," he said.
When asked to comment on Parrikar's health and whether a permanent solution was being worked out the BJP leader said: "We will discuss it with the core committee."
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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.
