Rahul Gandhi sends gift to barber shop in Raebareli who trimmed his beard during campaign
Raebareli (UP) (PTI): Rahul Gandhi has sent a gift after almost three months to the barber's shop here, where he got his beard and hair trimmed during the Lok Sabha election campaign.
Barber Mithun has expressed happiness after receiving the gift.
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP from Rae Bareli parliamentary seat, had attended a public meeting in Lalganj on May 13 during the Lok Sabha election campaign. While leaving, Gandhi stopped at barber Mithun's shop in Brijendra Nagar and got his beard trimmed.
Mithun on Friday said that Rahul Gandhi had talked to him for a long time.
"After more than three months, suddenly on Thursday, a vehicle stopped near my shop. Two people unloaded two chairs, a shampoo chair, inverter set, etc. from that vehicle and handed them over," Mithun said.
Mithun was told that these goods were sent by Rahul Gandhi, a party office bearer said, and added that Mithun was happy at this and expressed gratitude towards Gandhi.
Spokesperson of UP Congress Anshu Awasthi said, "Rahul Gandhi always meets different sections of the people, understands their needs and their work on the ground. During the Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi got his hair and beard trimmed at Mithun's salon in Lalganj, Raebareli."
"Rahul Gandhi sent Mithun the barber the things he needed for his work, including a shampoo chair, two hair-cutting chairs and an inverter battery. He does this work, so that people in politics, the social sector and Congress leaders and workers also promote this kind of support and encouragement. It is a matter of pride for us," Awasthi said.
The president of the district Congress unit of Raebareli, Pankaj Tiwari said, "The information about the goods being sent by the MP was received through social media. If the goods have arrived, then it is a very good thing."
Earlier, on July 26, Rahul Gandhi had made an unscheduled surprise visit to Ram Chet's shop in Vidhayak Nagar on the outskirts of Sultanpur on his way back to Lucknow from Sultanpur after appearing in a district court in connection with a defamation case.
A day after Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi made a brief halt at his shop, cobbler Ram Chet on July 27 got a sewing machine from the Congress leader.
Rahul Gandhi sent gifts to Mithun, the owner of the salon where Rahul Gandhi got his hair cut in Raebareli.
— Swati Dixit ಸ್ವಾತಿ (@vibewidyou) September 13, 2024
Rahul Gandhi gifted him, 2 hair cutting chairs, 1 shampoo chair and an inverter-battery.
Mithun said these things were very costly and Rahul Gandhi sent him all the… pic.twitter.com/gPZLzHMrnh
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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.
