Kerala HC junks pleas of three BJP-NDA candidates challenging rejection of their nominations
Kochi: In a setback to the BJP-NDA front ahead of the April 6 assembly polls, the Kerala High Court on Monday dismissed pleas of its three candidates challenging the rejection of their nomination papers by returning officers.
Justice N Nagaresh accepted the contention of the Election Commission that the court cannot interfere once the notification for the polls has been issued.
BJP's N Haridas and Nivedida Subramanian and its ally AIADMK's candidate, R M Dhanalakshmi had approached the court which met at a special sitting on Sunday to hear their pleas after their nominations were rejected during scrutiny on the ground that their papers were incomplete.
While Haridas and Nivedita had filed their nominations from Thalassery (Kannur) and Guruvayur (Thrissur) constituencies respectively, Dhanalakshmi was proposing to contest from Devikulam in Idukki district.
The petitions had been posted to 12 pm on Monday after the court directed the Electioncommission to file its counter affidavit.
Opposing the pleas, the EC cited the Constitutional provisions contending that since the election process had set in, the court's intervention was not warranted.
Reacting to the development, M V Jayarajan, CPI(M) Kannur district secretary, said "Vote trading between BJP and Congress will backfire".
The matter had snowballed into a controversy since March 20 when the returning officers of the three constituencies rejected the nominations as it did not contain signatures of their party state presidents in requisite forms.
The CPI(M) had alleged that with the rejection of nominations of the NDA candidates in three constituencies, it will create a situation of trading of BJP votes in favour of the Congress-led UDF in these segments.
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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.
