BJP moves EC, seeks Cong Bellary MP E Tukaram's disqualification over 'under-reporting' poll expense
New Delhi, Oct 22: The BJP on Tuesday approached the Election Commission with a demand to disqualify Congress Bellary MP E Tukaram, alleging illegal money was used to influence voters in his constituency during the Lok Sabha polls, and he did not show the actual expenditure incurred in the election.
In a separate memorandum to the poll panel, the Karnataka BJP delegation, led by its president Vijayendra Yediyurappa, also demanded action against the Congress government in the state, alleging it violated the Model Code of Conduct by giving "full page advertisements" to influence voters ahead of assembly bypolls on three seats.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Yediyurappa said the BJP delegation demanded the election commission that Tukaram be disqualified as "money siphoned off from the Karnataka Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited" was used to influence voters in his constituency during the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year.
ALSO READ: Bellary MP E Tukaram's wife Annapurna to fight from Sandur: CM Siddaramaiah
He claimed that Rs 187 crore was siphoned off from the KVSTDC Limited and used by the Congress during the Lok Sabha elections in the state and elsewhere.
"This has been exposed," he told reporters, referring to the findings of an Enforcement Directorate probe into the case.
"We have requested the election commission to initiate action. Since the elected Member of Parliament E Tukaram has violated all the norms and exceeded the limit of expenditure also, we requested the Election Commission to take serious note of it and disqualify him," he added.
Yediyurappa said the Congress government in Karnataka has violated the Model Code of Conduct by giving full page advertisements and making "false" claims ahead of the by-polls to be held in the state's three assembly constituencies.
"This is a clear violation of the Model Code of conduct. We have requested the Chief Election Commissioner to take necessary action against the state government," the Karnataka BJP chief told reporters.
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Senior BJP leaders meet Fadnavis after Mahayuti's landslide win
Mumbai (PTI): BJP national joint general secretary Shiv Prakash and Maharashtra unit head Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Sunday met Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at his residence here on Sunday.
The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance on Saturday retained power in Maharashtra, pocketing a whopping 230 of the 288 assembly seats.
The focus has now shifted to BJP leader Fadnavis, the architect of his party’s stunning victory as it bagged 132 of the 149 seats it contested in the state.
Political circles are abuzz with reports that the state’s second Brahmin to become the CM will don the post for the third time.
On Sunday, BJP leaders Shiv Prakash and Bawankule arrived at Fadnavis' 'Sagar' bungalow in the Malabar Hill area here to meet him.
The tenure of the current state assembly ends on Tuesday, which has also necessitated meetings among leaders of the ruling allies to finalise the name for the chief minister's post.
