BJP complains to poll officials on political activities in offices of K'taka Ministers, MLAs
Bengaluru: The BJP on Sunday complained to the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka, regarding the continued political activities in the offices of ministers and MLAs of the Congress government in the state.
A delegation of BJP leaders led by party MLA and former Minister S Suresh Kumar have asked for Ministers and legislators to be barred from carrying out any political activity in government buildings.
''Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar seems to have thought Vidhana Soudha was a Congress office. On March 30, Sivakumar violated the Election Code of Conduct by organising Najma Nazeer Chikkanerale's induction into the Congress party, at the Vidhana Soudha office,'' BJP said in a statement.
It accused Shivakumar of defying the code of conduct by organising a political programme at the government office, despite being aware that it should not be done.
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Despite this happening under the nose of the state's Chief Secretary Rajneesh Goel, his apparent inaction is alarming, it added.
The Lok Sabha elections have been announced and filing of nomination papers have already started, but the lack of enforcement of the election code by government officials is evident, the BJP said, adding it has informed poll officials that party activities are still going on in the offices of several ruling party MLAs.
The ministers are holding press conferences from their offices in Vidhana Soudha and Vikasa Saudha, it said. ''An example is that on March 25, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda held a press conference at Vikasa Soudha and criticised the Central government. The Election Commission should immediately close the offices of the Ministers,'' it added. Ministers and MLAs should be barred from carrying out any political activity in government buildings, the BJP said in its petition, and requested the Election Commission to give appropriate direction to the concerned authorities in this regard.
It also demanded that a strict action should be taken against the officials who are allowing such activities defying the rules.
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Guv invites Hemant Soren to form govt in Jharkhand, oath on Nov 28
Ranchi, Nov 24: JMM leader Hemant Soren on Sunday met Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar and staked claim to form the government, soon after leaders of the INDIA bloc in the state unanimously elected him as the legislature party leader.
He resigned as the chief minister, before staking claim to form the government. He will officiate as the acting chief minister till oath is administered to him on November 28.
"I met the governor. We staked claim to form the government, and handed over support letter of alliance partners to him. He invited us to form the government. The swearing in ceremony will be held on November 28," Soren told reporters after meeting Gangwar.
Soren, who drove to the Raj Bhavan in his car, said the governor asked him to officiate as the acting chief minister in the interim.
Soren will be sworn in as the 14th chief minister of Jharkhand, which was carved out of Bihar on November 15, 2000. He will be sworn in as the chief minister for the fourth term.
Earlier, leaders and MLAs of the alliance, during a meeting at Hemant Soren's residence here, unanimously elected him as the coalition's leader.
Congress's Jharkhand in-charge and party general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir and senior party leader Rajesh Thakur also attended the meeting, besides legislators of the coalition parties.
In a stunning comeback, Hemant Soren's JMM-led alliance on Saturday stormed to power in Jharkhand for a second consecutive term, winning 56 seats in the 81-member assembly, despite an all-out blitz by the BJP-led NDA which managed only 24 seats.
The majority mark in the state assembly is 41 seats.
Soren retained the Barhait seat by defeating BJP's Gamliyel Hembrom by a margin of 39,791 votes.
Soren had to resign as the CM in January before being arrested by the ED in a money laundering case.
He is out on bail after he was released from jail on June 28 after nearly five months, as the high court granted him bail in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.
He had resigned as the CM shortly before his arrest on January 31 by the ED.
Hemant Soren, the son of JMM supremo Shibu Soren, began his political career in 2009 as a Rajya Sabha member, but his tenure in the upper House of Parliament was short-lived.
He resigned in 2010 to become the deputy chief minister in the BJP-led Arjun Munda government. However, the alliance collapsed in 2012, leading to President's Rule in the state. Despite this setback, Soren's resolve to lead Jharkhand never faltered.
In 2013, Soren became the state's youngest chief minister at the age of 38, forming the government with the support of Congress and RJD.
However, his first term was short-lived, as the BJP took power in 2014, and Soren became leader of the opposition.
A pivotal moment in his career came in 2016 when the BJP-led government attempted to amend laws protecting tribal land, such as the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act and the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act.
Soren led a massive movement to protect tribal rights, which not only earned him widespread support but also set the stage for his return to power.
In 2019, Soren, with the backing of his allies Congress and RJD, reclaimed the chief minister's office. His JMM party won 30 seats.
This time, the party won 34 seats, its highest ever tally in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, signaling the growing popularity of his leadership.
