Case against TV channels telecasting false news: MB Patil
“I don’t have any relationship with rowdy sheeter Cycle Ravi”
Bengaluru, July 17: “I don’t know who cycle Ravi is. But some electronic media and web portals have been tarnishing my image by telecasting false news that I have relationship with him. I have decided to file a case against such media houses”, said former minister MB Patil.
The TV channels and web portals have made the news that “I have relationship with Cycle Ravi and spoke to him over phone several times. The CCB officials are likely to interrogate me shortly”.
When he was in a programme at Vijayapura, one of his friends called him and informed that some TV channels have been telecasting news that the former minister has relationship with the rowdy sheeter. He was surprised to hear such news, he said.
“I am hearing the name of Cycle Ravi for the first time. I don’t know anything about his background and whereabouts. But the media have been saying that I have spoken to him over phone and sent messages. I could not understand this. When I spoke to CCB Joint Commissioner Sathish Kumar and asked him about the news, he told me that ‘the phone number being mentioned in the channels is not the phone number of Cycle Ravi. The phone number belongs to Mandya Congress leader Sachchidananda. But he does not know why the TV channels are making such news’. Some media have made me as a culprit and telecast the news repeatedly. Being accountable to the people, the media should know the reality before telecasting or publishing any news. But these media have crossed their limitations which is regrettable”, the Congress leader said.
“Mandya Congress worker Sachchidananda is a supporter of my close friend and former minister Ambareesh. I know him for several years. This time, he wanted to contest from Srirangapatna constituency from the Congress. I have spoken to him several times. But his phone number was mistaken as the number of Cycle Ravi and telecast false news only to tarnish my image in public life. I would file case against such TV channels and web portals in the court”, he said in a statement.
“TV channels have made big news taking the phone number of some others as the number of MB Patil. I would clarify that MB Patil does not have any relationship with Cycle Ravi”.
- HD Kumaraswamy, Chief Minister
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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.
