Shimla receives heavy rain, key roads blocked across Himachal
Shimla (PTI): Debris and stones damaged several vehicles parked on roadsides in various parts of the city as Shimla received 99.2 mm of rains in the past 12 hours leading to blocking of a key road.
Twenty roads, including the National Highway 5 near Theog in Shimla, were blocked due to heavy rain, according to the state emergency operation centre.
Several parts of the state have received moderate to very heavy rain since Friday.
Kataula in Mandi district was wettest with 163.3 mm of rain followed by Sinhuta, 160 mm, Kasauli, 145 mm, Kangra which recieved 143.5 mm.
State capital Shimla received 99.2 mm of rain, Gohar, 81mm, Jubbarhatti, 76.5 mm, Pandoh, 74 mm, Sundernagar, 70 mm, Pachhad, 65.2 mm, Mandi, 58.5 mm, Kufri, 58 mm, Mashobra, 52 mm, Dhaulakaun, 48.5 mm, Dharamshala, 47 mm, Solan, 44 mm, and Nahan got 39 mm.
The local Met Office has issued 'orange' warning indicating 'heavy to 'very heavy' rain, thunderstorm, and lightning at isolated places on June 25 and 26 and 'yellow' warning indicating thunderstorm and lightning on June 27 and 28.
Officials from the Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited said water supply will be hit the next few days due to heavy silt load in the water sources and have requested the citizens to use water judiciously.
Turbidity increases during the rainy season which can interfere with disinfection, allowing harmful bacteria, viruses and parasites to grow. Therefore, the general public has been asked to drink water after boiling it for 10 minutes to avoid jaundice, cholera and other gastrointestinal illnesses, they said.
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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.
