Prashant Kishor dares Lalu to disclose what transpired during their talks
Patna: Poll strategist Prashant Kishor dared RJD supremo Lalu Prasad on Saturday to tell the media what transpired during their talks, a day after former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi claimed that Kishor had met her husband with the proposal to merge the JD(U) and the RJD.
Kishor, who is the national vice-president of the Janata Dal (United), also came down heavily on Prasad for making "false claims" and tweeted saying "those convicted or facing charges of abuse of public office and misappropriation of funds are claiming to be the custodians of truth".
He dared the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo to sit with him before the media and tell everybody what transpired during their meeting and who offered what.
"Whenever @laluprasadrjd ji wants, he should sit with me before the media as it would let everybody know what transpired between me and him and who gave an offer to whom," Kishor said in a tweet.
Rabri Devi on Friday claimed that Kishor had met her husband Lalu Prasad with the proposal that the RJD and Nitish Kumar's JD(U) merge and the new entity thus formed declare its "prime ministerial candidate" ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
If Kishor denies having met Prasad with such a proposal, he is speaking a "blatant lie", she said.
"I got infuriated and asked him to go away as I had no trust left in Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar following his betrayal," the RJD national vice-president, who is also the leader of the opposition in the state legislative council, told a regional news channel here.
Kumar had in 2017 walked out of the Grand Alliance, which was formed upon his party's partnership with the RJD and the Congress, and had re-joined the BJP-led NDA.
Kishor had earlier termed as "bogus" the claim of Prasad in his recently published autobiography that Kumar wanted to return to the Grand Alliance, for which he had sent Kishor as his emissary to the RJD supremo.
Kishor had worked with both Kumar and Prasad as a strategist during the 2015 Bihar Assembly polls. He formally joined the JD(U) in September last year.
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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.
