CM Siddaramaiah dismisses Maharashtra CM's talk of toppling Karnataka govt after LS polls
Bengaluru, May 13: Dismissing his Maharashtra counterpart's reported statements regarding efforts to replicate the 'Maharashtra model' to topple the Congress government in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said Eknath Shinde was under an "illusion" and is "daydreaming", and claimed none of his MLAs "are ready to get sold."
In a counter, Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President D K Shivakumar said after the Lok Sabha polls, the Maharashtra government led by Shinde will lose its strength, and there are doubts about its survival.
Speaking at a campaign event in Maharashtra's Satara, Shinde is said to have told the gathering that during his recent visit to Karnataka there were talks about 'Operation Nath (Eknath)', referring to toppling of the MahaVikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra and replicating it in Karnataka after Lok Sabha polls. He had further said his experience may come in handy for such an exercise in the Congress-ruled state.
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The Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition government fell in 2022 following a spilt in Shiv Sena, with MLAs led by Shinde breaking out and joining hands with the BJP.
"He (Shinde) is under an illusion, he is daydreaming. At no cost they will be able to (pull down) our government in Karnataka through 'Operation Kamala' as they did in Maharashtra, because NDA is going to lose in Parliamentary polls this time," Siddaramaiah told reporters here.
Asked if there is a possibility for such an attempt after the Lok Sabha polls, he said: "They have failed after making such attempts, why will they attempt once again? For the last one year they have been making such attempts and have been failing.
"According to my information, none of our legislators are ready to get sold. There is no chance for Maharashtra-like changes to take place here."
The chief minister further asserted that the Congress-led INDI Alliance will win the Parliamentary polls and come to power, and in Karnataka the party will win at least 20 out of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats.
"They (BJP) have realised that they will lose in the Parliamentary polls and hence they are making such statements. They don't have confidence about winning in the polls, even Narendra Modi (PM) does not have confidence and hence he is speaking whatever comes to his mouth," he added.
Shivakumar said there are doubts about the survival of the Shinde government in Maharashtra after the Lok Sabha polls.
"Why did Modi speak about Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena (UTB) chief), because Uddhav Thackeray has strength.....I'm saying this on record that after this Lok Sabha polls, Maharashtra government will lose its strength.
"All the MLAs of original Shiv Sena and NCP will go back and there will be original Shiv Sena and NCP back, and both parties along with Congress will come together and there will be our government once again. That's why they are afraid," he said.
Asked whether there is a Shinde-like leader in Karnataka Congress, for the Shinde model operation to replicate here, the KPCC chief said, "they may have such people, there are no such people here on our side..."
Shinde's statements have gained significance as the BJP and JD(S) leaders in the state have several times predicted the collapse of the Congress government after the Lok Sabha polls.
Leaders of the two opposition parties have been hinting at a possible power tussle within the Congress, amid persistent rumours about leadership change in the ruling party in the state after Lok Sabha polls or mid-way of the current Assembly's tenure.
There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the chief minister's post after the declaration of Assembly election results in May last year, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter and made him the deputy chief minister.
There were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational chief minister formula," according to which Shivakumar will become CM after two-and-half years but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.
Shivakumar has made no secret of his ambition to become chief minister, while Siddaramaiah had sought public support during the Lok Sabha polls so that the Congress wins maximum number of seats in the state, which would strengthen his position.
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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.
