LS election will drive BJP out of power, Modi will never be PM again : Mamata Banerjee
Chopra: Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday said the upcoming Lok Sabha elections will drive the BJP out of power and ensure that Narendra Modi will never again be the prime minister of the country again.
The Trinamool Congress will help form the next government at the Centre, she claimed and urged the people to vote for it.
"This time it is a very important election. This election is to defeat the BJP. It is to drive out the BJP from power ... This election is to make sure that Narendra Modi can never be the prime minister of the country again. We must ensure that they (BJP) never come back," Banerjee said at an election rally at Chopra in Uttar Dinajpur.
"The TMC will form the next government. We will drive out the BJP from the country," she said urging people to vote for Trinamool Congress.
Taking a jibe at Modi, Banerjee said that for the past four-and-half years the prime minister was busy touring foreign countries. "Suddenly he became so conscious about the welfare of countrymen".
"Five years back he was the chaiwala and now he is suddenly the chowkidar. And after the elections people will not find him anywhere. For four and half years he was busy touring the globe and now there is no employment here, farmers have died failing to pay their debts... He was mum when people were lynched. I call him (Modi) dangabaaz (rioteer) and a lutera (looter)," she said.
Banerjee said no one from BJP, the Congress nor CPI-M had visited Darjeeling in the past five years, while she had made it a point to visit the Hills almost every month.
The Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency is set to witness a keenly-fought contest between the two warring factions of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) -- one led by its supremo Bimal Gurung and his one-time protege Binay Tamang.
The ruling TMC in West Bengal is yet to win the Darjeeling seat even once since its inception in 1998, while the BJP has emerged victorious twice.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
