5 guarantee schemes of Congress should be treated as social welfare, cannot be called corruption: HC
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Saturday ruled that while the manifesto released by the state Congress during the 2023 assembly elections can be criticized for wrong policies, it cannot be deemed as corruption under the Representation of People Act.
A single member bench headed by Justice MI Arun dismissed an election dispute petition filed by a local voter Shashank J Sridhar challenging the election of Chamrajpet MLA Zameer Ahmed. Subsequently, the bench said that the five guarantee schemes announced by the Congress party should be considered as social welfare schemes.
The bench further stated, “alongside questioning about whether it is possible to advance the guarantees economically. Other parties will have to show how implementation of these schemes will bankrupt the state exchequer and lead to mismanagement of the state. Depending on the facts and context of the case they may be interpreted as wrong policies. However, they cannot be called corruption.”
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However, the court stated that if a candidate, their agent, or any other person associated with the campaign makes such announcements with the candidate's consent, it would constitute corruption.
The court further emphasised that voters must scurtinise whether the policies are beneficial or merely involve distributing freebies, potentially favoring one group over others. The court also clarified that under Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act, such declarations cannot be considered acts of corruption. Consequently, the petition challenging the election of Zameer Ahmed Khan solely on the grounds that the Congress Manifesto constitutes corruption was dismissed.
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BJP central leadership backs Kerala chief Surendran amid Palakkad bypoll loss
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The national leadership of the BJP on Monday threw its weight behind the Kerala state unit and its chief K Surendran despite a major vote loss in the Palakkad Assembly bypoll, asserting that the party had put up a "good fight" in the recently concluded election.
Rejecting reports that Surendran had expressed a willingness to quit taking moral responsibility for the defeat in Palakkad, considered one of its strongholds in Kerala, the BJP accused the CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF of "spreading rumours."
"Nobody is resigning neither party has sought anybody's resignation. I think this will settle the matter," senior BJP leader and party's in-charge Kerala, Prakash Javadekar, said in a post on 'X'.
Youth Congress state president Rahul Mamkootathil won the Palakkad seat with a margin of over 18,000 votes, even making inroads into BJP stronghold areas, delivering a shock to the saffron party, which had been hoping to win the seat after finishing second in the past few elections.
Adding to the BJP's woes, the Left improved its performance in the seat, narrowing the gap with the party.
"BJP has given a good fight in recently concluded by-elections in Kerala and got a massive mandate in Maharashtra. We will win Palakkad and many more assembly seats in 2026. We are here to make a difference in Kerala politics. People are looking up to BJP," Javadekar said.
The senior leader claimed that more than 15,00,000 voters have become voluntarily members of the BJP, by giving missed call and full information.
"Our membership drive will continue vigorously," Javadekar said.
His statement came amidst reports that the defeat had triggered widespread dissent within the Kerala BJP against Surendran.
Surendran's critics within the party allege that he unilaterally decided to field C Krishnakumar, his preferred candidate, for the Palakkad seat.
Before the candidate's announcement, some senior leaders had publicly advocated for the firebrand party leader Sobha Surendran.
In protest against Krishnakumar's candidature, BJP's popular television face Sandeep G Varier resigned and joined the Congress just ahead of the by-poll, delivering a significant blow to the saffron camp.
In the by-poll, BJP's Krishnakumar secured 39,549 votes (28.63 per cent), while Congress candidate Mamkootathil won with 58,389 votes (42.27 per cent). CPI(M)-backed P Sarin garnered 37,293 votes (27 per cent).
Surendran sought to downplay the setback, stating it is common for the BJP to see reduced votes in Kerala by-elections.
He claimed that many votes for the BJP candidate "Metro Man" E Sreedharan during the 2021 Assembly polls were apolitical, with cross-party support. However, he admitted, "In Palakkad, there was a decrease in the number of votes. We will introspect on it."
