Fuel price hike continues; petrol at Rs 81.28 in Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 14 : Domestic fuel prices continued their upward movement on Friday and touched fresh record levels in three of the four metro cities.
In the national capital petrol price rose by 28 paise, to a fresh record high of Rs 81.28 on Friday, from the previous level of Rs 81 per litre, data from the Indian Oil Corp's website showed.
Price of the fuel in the other key cities of Mumbai and Chennai also rose to new record levels of 88.67 and Rs 84.49 respectively, up from Rs 88.39 and Rs 84.19 per litre on Thursday.
In Kolkata, petrol was sold at Rs 83.14 on Friday, against the previous close of Rs 82.87. The record level in the West Bengal capital is Rs 83.75 per litre, touched on Tuesday.
Transportation fuel prices have been on the rise for over a month now on the back of high crude oil prices and a weak rupee. Depreciation in the rupee against the US dollar makes the import of crude oil dearer as transaction takes place with dollars.
The Brent crude oil is currently priced over $78 per barrel.
In tandem with petrol prices, cost of diesel also scaled new highs. In Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, price of the fuel rose to Rs 73.30, Rs 77.82 and Rs 77.49 per litre, from the Thursday's levels of Rs 73.08, Rs 77.58 and Rs 77.25 per litre.
Diesel price in Kolkata rose to Rs 75.15, from the previous Rs 74.93 per litre. The all-time high price of diesel in the city is Rs 75.82 per litre, 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.
