Water, power connections to ex-Assam CM Prafulla Mahanta's quarters snapped for overstaying
Guwahati, Nov 2: Water and electricity connections to former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta's quarters inside the Assam Assembly complex were snapped on Wednesday as he has not shifted to a new accommodation despite receiving several notices to do so, officials said.
Mahanta is not an MLA at present and his official residence is not the responsibility of the Assembly Secretariat, the officials said.
The General Administration Department of the Assam government is the nodal agency to provide accommodation to a former chief minister.
"During April, the Assembly Secretariat decided to build new multi-storeyed residential towers for the MLAs in place of the old Assam-type houses. Accordingly, notices were sent to all the MLAs in the first week of May to vacate the premises," a senior official told PTI.
Assam-type houses have walls of bamboo or reed mesh, plaster set in a wooden framework and wooden floors that are highly earthquake resistant.
Some MLAs live in the existing six-storeyed residential towers, while many reside in the old houses due to lack of available quarters, he added.
The Assembly Secretariat decided to pay Rs 60,000 per month to each of the MLAs, who will take rented accommodation outside the high-security complex in Dispur locality, till the new towers are ready, the official said on condition of anonymity.
"Almost 55 per cent of the MLAs vacated by the deadline of July 18. Some took an extension and all of them vacated by August 15, except ex-CM Prafulla Kumar Mahanta. He kept on seeking seven-day extensions to vacate the place," he added.
Mahanta has been living in the Assembly complex in a house which was made by joining quarters numbered 54, 55 and 56, since 1985 when he became the chief minister for the first time.
"Though his accommodation is not our responsibility as he is not an MLA anymore, still we provided him with an accommodation. His wife did all the interior designing in the new place by changing the original structure," the official claimed.
The former chief minister's wife Joyasree Goswami Mahanta claimed that they have already moved into the new quarters.
"As construction works are going on, so workers snapped electric wire. However, water connection is still there," she told reporters.
An official claimed that about two months back, the water and electricity connections to the quarters had been disconnected.
However, it was restored after Mahanta's wife requested the Speaker, the official said.
"As they have not moved out, we were left with no option but to snap the connections. We are paying Rs 60,000 to around 35 MLAs every month for their rented places. The delay in the construction of the new buildings means financial loss," the official 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.
