Cong chief Mallikarjun Kharge alleges electoral fraud led to his 2019 LS poll defeat
Bengaluru, Aug 8 (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday claimed that his 2019 Lok Sabha election defeat from Gulbarga constituency was the result of "electoral fraud".
The veteran leader said he has never faced defeat in his long political career, except in 2019.
He was addressing people during the ‘Vote Adhikar Rally’ here, where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his deputy D K Shivakumar and several others were present.
Kharge also claimed that he was a victim of election rigging.
“I have won over 12 elections in my life except the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, which I lost for the first time in my life due to the election fraud,” the Congress chief said.
He alleged that the BJP engaged in "bogus voting", securing up to 20,000 votes in each of the five assembly segments under the Gulbarga Lok Sabha seats in 2019 Parliamentary election.
Kharge accused the BJP of using the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Income Tax department to "intimidate" opponents and gain power.
Citing the example of Karnataka, he claimed that the BJP toppled the then ruling coalition government by inducing defection of many MLAs, despite not having a clear majority.
“The same thing happened in Goa, Maharashtra and also in Manipur. They (BJP) never won any election, but they paid people and purchased the government,” the Congress leader said.
According to Kharge, "Modi and company" did not have a legitimate victory in the 2024 LS poll. Their win was achieved by "stealth".
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
