Mangaluru: KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao on Tuesday said that the Cabinet would be expanded after local bodies’ election in September.

He was speaking at a press conference held at Congress office in Mallikatte here on Saturday.

The state government has given the right status to Siddaramaiah. The Chief Minister's position will not change until the next assembly elections. Kumaraswamy will be the chief minister and will lead the state for five years. No discussions were held regarding upcoming Lok Sabha elections, he said.

The central BJP government has pushed the country into peril. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said about: development, money from abroad, support for farmers, protection of women, security and to control terrorism. But he has failed to do any developmental work so far.

The four-year report card of the central government shows the utter failure of the Narendra Modi-led government. It has failed in creating jobs for youth. The BJP is trying to win the elections here by playing with people's feelings and through Hindutva.

The BJP MPs from Karnataka have been silent on the issues like flood relief, Mahadai, Kaveri and special status for Hyderabad Karnataka. They do not raise voice against anything. The people of the country know the BJP’s mask politics.

The state of Jammu and Kashmir has become a safe place for militants during the BJP’s rule. Thousands of Indian soldiers are martyred by them. The central government is misleading the people of the country. The country will be informed about the defeat of the BJP-ruled state, he said.

Violent acts have been increasing since the BJP government came into power in the country. BJP MLAs held yatras in favor of the accused in Unnao and Kathua rape cases. With this, the BJP has come to the rescue of the accused. Women in the country are not giving any priority," he said.

Minorities, Dalits today cannot speak against the central government and the BJP. If they talk, they are being attacked. Threat calls are coming to  Prof. K.S. Bhagwan, Girish Karnad, Nidummamadi

Urban Development and Housing Minister UT Khader, Vice-President Ivan D'Souza, Harish Kumar and others were present.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



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.