Bannanje Raja performs his mother’s last rites amidst tight police security
Udupi, August 27: Following the permission from the principal district and sessions court, the police have brought fugitive don Bannanje Raja who is in Belagavi Hindalga jail, to perform his mother’s last rites at his home at Kalmadi and Malpe graveyard, here on Monday.
His mother Vilasini Shettigar died after falling at her home at Kalmadi on August 25. Following his mother’s death, Raja has appealed the court through his advocate Shantaram Shetty on August 26 for permission to participate in the cremation and last rites of his mother and the court has granted the permission. The police have brought him from the Hindalga jail to Udupi on Sunday midnight and put him in the city police station lock-up.
On Monday morning, the police took him to his house at Kalmadi and allowed him to participate in the cremation of his mother. After paying tribute to his mother, he performed the last rites of his mother along with his brother Arun. His father Sundar and family members were present.
The police have taken him in police vehicle to the graveyard and his home in the evening amidst tight police security. Later, he was brought to city police station. His wife Sonam was also present at the house. He will be kept in the lock-up on Monday night and the police would take him to Hindalga jail on Tuesday morning.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
