With 20 more seats, they would be in jail: Kharge's attack draws BJP's 'Emergency DNA' response
New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, during his visit to Jammu and Kashmir, voiced confidence about his party's prospects in the upcoming assembly elections, while taking aim at the BJP. He claimed that if the opposition had won 20 more seats in the Lok Sabha elections, BJP leaders would be behind bars, resulting in a sharp retort from the BJP, which accused Congress of retaining an 'Emergency mindset.'
Speaking at a rally in Anantnag, Kharge belittled the BJP's performance in the last elections, stating that despite BJP's claim of winning 400 seats, they only secured 243, while the opposition came close with 234. He went on to suggest that the BJP was relying heavily on coalition partners like Chandrababu Naidu's TDP and Nitish Kumar's JD(U) to stay in power.
Kharge also criticized the BJP for failing to deliver on promises of job creation and infrastructure development in the region. He assured that a Congress-led government would fill one lakh vacant government posts in Jammu and Kashmir and boost employment through factory and manufacturing initiatives.
In a bid to woo voters, Kharge unveiled five key guarantees if the Congress-National Conference alliance wins the upcoming elections, including a 25-lakh health insurance scheme for families, rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits, and monthly financial support for women heads of households.
The BJP quickly responded to Kharge’s comments, with spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accusing the Congress of exhibiting a 'dictatorial mentality' and invoking memories of the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi. He questioned Kharge’s remarks, particularly his earlier statement that winning the J&K elections would give the Congress control over the entire country.
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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.
