Rahul Gandhi sprints, others try to catch up as Bharat Jodo Yatra enters Day 5 in Telangana
Jadcherla (Telangana)(PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who is leading the party's pan-India Bharat Jodo Yatra on Sunday gave some exciting moments during the foot march as he suddenly started to sprint along with some school children, forcing others to run.
Caught unawares over his sudden shifting of gears, Gandhi's security personnel, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President Revanth Reddy and others also started scooting from their brisk walk.
Joined by party leaders and cadre, Gandhi resumed his foot march from here this morning and is expected to cover a distance of 22 kilometres, Congress sources said.
This is the fifth day of the party's campaign in the state.
Gandhi will address a Corner Meeting at Solipur junction at Shadnagar in the evening, before halting for the day.
The Gandhi scion-led yatra completed over 20 km on Saturday, before halting at Jadcherla X Road Junction for the night.
The yatra will cover 19 Assembly and 7 Parliamentary constituencies in poll-bound Telangana, spanning a total distance of 375 km in the state, before entering Maharashtra on November 7. The yatra will take a one-day break on November 4.
The Wayanad MP will meet intellectuals, leaders of various communities, including personalities from the sporting, business and entertainment sectors during the party campaign in the southern state.
He will also visit prayer halls, mosques and temples across Telangana, members of the Telangana PCC said.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra commenced on September 7 from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.
Gandhi completed the marathon walk in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, before beginning the Telangana leg of the yatra last week.
The Telangana State Congress has formed 10 special committees to coordinate the yatra.
Guess who won the race ? @RahulGandhi @revanth_anumula #BharatJodoYatra pic.twitter.com/xYjD6ugTYF
— Supriya Bhardwaj (@Supriya23bh) October 30, 2022
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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.
