'Metroman' fielded from Palakkad; state chief K Surendran to try his luck from 2 constituencies
New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 13: 'Metroman' E Sreedharan will make his electoral debut from Palakkad in the April 6 assembly polls, while BJP state president K Surendran will contest from two constituencies, including Konni, the epicentre of the Sabarimala stir in 2018.
The BJP, which willbe contesting in 115 of the 140 constituencies, released its candidates list for 112 seats in New Delhi on Sunday.
Twenty five seats have been given to its four NDA allies--BDJS (Bharath Dharma Jana Sena), AIADMK,Janadhipathya Rashtriya Sabha (JRS) and Kamaraj Congress, party general secretary Arun Singh told the mediain Delhi.
'Metroman' Sreedharan had joined the BJP recently.
Two film actors-- Suresh Gopi (Thrissur), who is a Rajya Sabha MP and Krishnakumar (Thiruvananthapuram central)are also in the fray.
Former Union minister K J Alphons will try his luck from Kanjirapallyand former DGP Jacob Thomas from Irinjalakuda.
Firebrand BJP leader Surendran,who had led the Sabarimala agitation in 2018 against entry ofwomen of all ages to the Lord Ayyappa temple following the Supreme Court verdict, has been fielded from Manjeshwaram in Kasaragod district and Konni in Pathanamthitta district.
He had unsuccessfully contested the 2016 assembly polls from Manjeshwaram and had lost by a meagre 89 votes.
Former Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajashekharan has been fielded from Nemom, the lone seat won by the BJP in the 2016 assembly polls when former Union minister O Rajagopal was elected.
Senior leaders C K Padmanabhan will take on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Dharmadam in Kannur, while P K Krishnadas will battle it out at Kattakada in Thiruvananthapuram.
Well knownacademicianand retired Calicut University Vice Chancellor Dr Abdul Salam has been fielded from Tirur and Manikuttan, the first tribal engineer,will be in the fray from Mananthavady (reserved) seat.
The saffron party, which has fielded 12 women candidates, has not given a seat tosenior leader Shobha Surendran.
Rajashekharan, a former BJP state president, told reporters here that people in Kerala are yearning for a change from the alternate governments being formed over the years by the CPI(M) led LDF and Congress led UDF.
"Many known personalities are fighting on behalf of BJP in this election. The people are done with both the fronts.
The wind is blowing in favour of the NDA.
The list of candidates is a representation of those who have made their mark in society.
I am really confident about my candidature in the Nemom constituency," Rajashekharan told the media.
BJP state chief Surendran said the party lost Manjeshwaram constituency last time due to the 'adjustment politics' between the Congress and the BJP.
"We lost Manjeshwaram last time because of the adjustment politics between the Congress and the CPI(M). We will fight to get back that constituency.
Konni is dear to me due to the Sabarimala issue,"he said.
He evaded a direct reply when asked which constituency he would leave if elected from both seats, saying many leaders in the country have followed this format.
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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.
