'Disgruntled' Karnataka BJP leaders to meet party high-command to convey their feelings
Tumakuru (Karnataka) (PTI): Some BJP leaders, who are "disgruntled" following the appointment of B Y Vijayendra as the president of the party's Karnataka unit and R Ashok as the leader of opposition in the Assembly, are likely to visit New Delhi early next month to convey their feelings to the central leadership.
Senior leader V Somanna, who has been sulking following the appointments, said on Saturday that he will visit the national capital with MLAs Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, Arvind Bellad, Ramesh Jarkiholi, former MLA Arvind Limbavali and others.
All five leaders named have been critical of the saffron party's decision to appoint former chief minister B S Yediyurappa's son Vijayendra as its state president and Ashoka as the leader of opposition.
"I received a message on Friday night. I will probably go to Delhi between December 7 and 10 along with Yatnal, Limbavali, Bellad, Jarkiholi and several others. We will meet the top party leaders and share our feelings with them," Somanna told reporters here.
He said the leaders have a vision, which will be conveyed to the top leadership.
"Only when a child cries does the mother feed it milk. The party must grow. No one should be taken for granted, no one should have a complete say," Somanna said.
Earlier in the day, Somanna visited the influential Siddaganga Math here and a video of him purportedly sharing his feelings in front of math pontiff Siddalinga Swami was aired on television news channels.
In the video, Somanna can be heard saying that accepting the party's decision that he should contest the Assembly polls from two seats was a mistake.
"What was I to do when I was asked to contest with just four days left? (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah was in my house for two-three hours and he badgered me. What should I have done, Swamiji?" he is heard asking the pontiff.
Somanna, a leader from the Lingayat community, has been sulking ever since he lost from two constituencies in the Assembly polls held in May. He was asked to shift from his Govindaraj Nagar seat to contest from Varuna against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as also from Chamarajanagar.
There is speculation that he might quit the BJP and join the ruling Congress in the southern state.
Asked about Somanna's disgruntlement, Yediyurappa said he has not been able to reach out to his party colleague.
"I tried talking to him over the phone. He is not receiving my calls. We will try everything possible to keep him in the party," the former chief minister said.
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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.
