Congress govt in Karnataka will fall if caste census is released: KS Eshwarappa
Bengaluru: Former minister KS Eshwarappa launched a scathing attack on the Congress government in Karnataka, asserting that the release of the caste census would lead to the downfall of the Congress. He accused Siddaramaiah and the Congress of creating confusion around the caste census issue.
Addressing the media, Eshwarappa highlighted the internal confusion within the Congress party, stating that MLAs were discontented due to a lack of funds for development. He criticized the state government for its alleged failure in promoting development, and referred to Karnataka as an "ATM for the Congress high command."
Eshwarappa expressed certainty about Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar facing imprisonment either before or after the Lok Sabha elections. He claimed that the court had given approval for a CBI investigation, alleging that illegal money transactions had been linked to Shivakumar.
Accusing Shivakumar of amassing illicit wealth, Eshwarappa stated that the ongoing CBI probe would likely result in his imprisonment.
He also questioned the Congress government's decision to announce guarantees, despite knowing that the previous BJP government had taken loans, and criticized the move as an attempt to deceive the poor.
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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.
