Call for schools- college bundh on July 21
Free bus passes
Bengaluru, July 17: All India Democratic Students Organisation and All India Democratic Youth Organisation have called for schools and college bundh across the state on July 21 demanding free bus passes for all students.
Speaking to reporters at the Press Club here on Tuesday, Students Organisation national vice president VN Rajashekar said that the previous Congress government had announced the free bus passes to all students in its Budget because of the pressure from the students community. But it was not implemented due to election code of conduct. Now, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, in his Budget, had announced that the programmes of the previous Congress government would continue in the coalition government. But he has not cleared about the free bus pass issue. This has caused injustice to the students who have been waiting for the facility for the last two months, he said.
Keeping this in mind, the organizations have called for the bundh and all students would participate in it voluntarily, he said.
All India Democratic Students Organisation state secretary KS Ashwini said that the state government and the Transport department have been telling that it would become a burden on the government, which is a big lie. The government could give free bus passes with Rs 860 crore given by the previous government. But the government was saying that it would require Rs 600 crore more. Already, Social Welfare and SC/ST departments have been reimbursing the amount of the students passes. Now, the government should extend this facility to the remaining students only, she said.
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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.
