MCD bypolls see 31.3 per cent voter turnout, votes to be counted on Dec 3
New Delhi (PTI): Voter turnout in the MCD bypolls to 12 wards on Sunday remained subdued, with the overall polling recorded at 31.3 per cent till 4 pm, according to the State Election Commission.
The voting began at 7.30 am and ended at 5.30 pm.
Among the 12 wards where polling was held, Chandni Mahal recorded the highest turnout at 41.95 per cent.
It was followed by Sangam Vihar-A with 38.62 per cent and Mundka with 37.82 per cent voter participation.
Greater Kailash registered the lowest turnout at just 20.87 per cent, while Dwarka-B recorded 23.72 per cent polling. Chandni Chowk saw 27.91 per cent turnout, Ashok Vihar 28.13 per cent and Shalimar Bagh-B 28.28 per cent.
The votes will be counted on December 3. The results are expected to reveal the mood of voters in the national capital after the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) comprehensive victory in the Assembly elections in February this year.
The State Election Commission has set up 580 polling booths across 143 locations for the 12 bypolls. A total of 2,320 election commission personnel, 580 home guards and 2,265 other personnel, along with 13 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces are facilitating the electoral exercise.
The fate of 51 candidates, including 26 women, will be decided at the ballot. The BJP has fielded eight women candidates, the highest. This was followed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with six women candidates and Congress five.
The election is being closely observed as the AAP and the BJP will take on each other again after the Assembly polls. The BJP won 48 out of the 70 seats in the Assembly elections and returned to power in Delhi after 27 years, ousting the AAP.
Of the 12 Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) wards, nine were earlier held by the BJP and three by the AAP.
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LoP Ashoka targets CM govt over corruption, says being 'shameless' in public life not forgivable
Bengaluru (PTI): Targeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government in Karnataka on corruption, BJP leader R Ashoka on Friday said, being foolish was forgivable, but being "shameless" in public life was not.
The Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly claimed that in just 30 months of its tenure, the Congress administration has broken every previous record on corruption-related controversies.
He was responding to Siddaramaiah's post on 'X' on Thursday hitting back at the BJP, stating that Upa Lokayukta Justice Veerappa's claims of "63 per cent corruption" were based on his report in November 2019, when BJP's B S Yediyurappa was the CM.
"But Ashoka, without understanding the Upa Lokayukta's statement properly, has ended up tying the BJP's own bells of sins onto our heads and has effectively shot himself in the foot," the CM had said, as he accused Ashoka of foolishness for trying to twist Veerappa's statement to target the current government.
Responding, Ashoka said, "it is one thing to be called foolish in politics, that can be forgiven."
"But in public life, especially in the Chief Minister's chair, one must never become shameless," Ashoka posted on 'X' on Friday addressing Siddaramaiah.
Noting that the CM himself had admitted on the floor of the Assembly that a Rs 87 crore scam took place in the Valmiki Development Corporation, he said that when a CM acknowledges such a massive irregularity inside the floor of the House, the natural expectation is immediate action and accountability.
"But instead of taking responsibility, you continue in office as if nothing has happened. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
Pointing out that the CM's Economic Advisor and senior Congress MLA Basavaraja Rayareddy had publicly stated that under Congress rule, Karnataka has become No.1 in corruption, Ashoka said, "Yet, you still cling to the Chief Minister's chair without a moment of introspection. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness."
Senior Congress MLA C R Patil had exposed the "money for House" racket in the Housing Department and even warned that the government would collapse if the details he has were made public, Ashoka said.
"Despite such serious allegations from within your own party (Congress), you neither initiated an inquiry nor acted against the concerned minister. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," Ashoka asked the CM.
Highlighting the "40 percent commission" allegation Congress made against the previous BJP government, the opposition leader said, the commission that the Siddaramaiah government appointed concluded that the accusation was baseless.
"After your own panel demolished your own claim, what moral right do you have to continue repeating that allegation. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
For the last two and a half years, Karnataka has been 'drowning' in corruption, scandals, irregularities and allegations across departments. Ashoka said, "If I begin listing every case that emerged under your government, even 24 hours would not be enough."
"And the most tragic aspect of your administration is this: the unbearable pressure, corruption demands and administrative harassment under your government pushed several officers and contractors into extreme distress - including the suicide of Chandrasekharan which exposed the Valmiki Development Corporation scam - a sign of how deeply broken the system has become under your watch," he said.
Instead of fixing this hopeless environment, the government has tried to bury every complaint and silence every voice, he charged.
"Being foolish is forgivable, but being shameless in public life is definitely not."
"When your own ministers admit scams, when your own advisors certify Karnataka as No.1 in corruption, and when your own MLAs expose rackets inside your departments - clinging to power without accountability is not leadership. It is shamelessness in its purest form." PTI KSU
Earlier on Thursday Ashoka had demanded that the corruption case and allegations in the state against the Congress government be handed over to a CBI investigation, citing a reported statement by Upalokaykta Justice Veerappa alleging "63 per cent corruption", following which Siddaramaiah hit back at the BJP leader.
