Delayed start of winter session of Karnataka Legislative Assembly draws flak
Belagavi, Dec 4: The opposition BJP and ruling Congress legislators expressed their strong objection over the delay in the convening of Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Monday, as it met for the winter session at 'Suvarna Vidhana Soudha' here, one hour late than the scheduled time.
Soon after 'Vande Mataram' was sung and preamble of the Constitution read after the House met for the day at around noon, instead of the scheduled time of 11 am, senior MLAs -- Suresh Kumar of BJP and Basavaraj Rayareddy of Congress -- expressed their strong objections to Speaker U T Khader over the delay.
They said the unnecessary delay without any intimation to members waiting, was sending a wrong message to the people of the state and was in violation of rules and procedures.
"The House was called to meet at 11 am, it has been an hour, it's noon now. What message are we sending out to the people? On the first day itself without any reason, one hour delay. I would like to say that you have not sent a right message through this House," Suresh Kumar said.
Rayareddy too expressed his strong reservations about the delay.
"There are rules of procedure and conduct of business in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly regarding what time the session has to be convened and how, you should have read it. There are also references in (M N) Kaul and (S L) Shakdher (Compilation on Practice and rocedure of Parliament) as to how the sessions should start and when. There is a feeling outside the House that when the session happens in Belagavi, it doesn't happen properly and such things come in newspapers," he said.
Stating that such a thing brings a bad name to north Karnataka region, Rayareddy referring as to how Lok Sabha is convened on time, urged the Speaker to begin the house proceedings at the time announced. "Whether someone comes or not, start the proceedings on time, if someone doesn't come on time it is a shame on them...you may have delayed due to various reasons, inform the House about it and ensure there is no delay and the house meets on time."
BJP legislator Basangouda Patil Yatnal, on his part urged that the discussion on north Karnataka related issues should begin from today itself; if not he will stage a protest.
"Every year the discussion on north Karnataka is scheduled during the last two days of the Belagavi session when most legislators and Ministers are not there. Please take up issues of north Karnataka and political injustice happening to the region, from today itself," he said.
Speaker Khader in his response said, the House should begin its proceedings on time and there are rules regarding it, but due to certain reasons and circumstances there will be some delay some times, and all legislators should also cooperate with attendance for the House to be convened on time.
He said, the session has been called to discuss issues relating to the entire state and north Karnataka, and let's all work accordingly.
Later, the House paid obituary reference to six former members of the House including former Minister and Speaker D B Chandre Gowda, who passed away recently.
It also paid rich tributes to five soldiers of the Indian army -- including Captain M V Pranjal from Karnataka -- who were killed during an encounter with terrorists in Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir last month.
Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka, noting that the state government has already announced compensation to Pranjal's family, requested the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to help the family in whatever way it can, while BJP MLA Umanatha Kotian urged the government to take measures and do whatever possible to immortalise the name of the late soldier and his legacy.
Rayareddy, on his part suggested that the legislature bring out a book on Chandre Gowda and his contributions.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
