Drop demand for separate state: BSY
Belagavi, July 31: BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa appealed those who have been fighting for separate North Karnataka state to drop the demand as the BJP would fight inside and outside the Houses for the development of the north Karnataka.
Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, he said that the BJP has 104 members in both the Houses and they would work in the House to implement the programmes for the development of the north Karnataka. So, the bandh call given on August 2 should be withdrawn, he appealed.
Karnataka was united because of the efforts of Alur Venkataraya, Kuvempu, Bendre, Shivarama Karanth and others. Various Kannada speaking parts were brought together and made Karnataka. So, no one should try to divide it again, he said.
When HD Deve Gowda was the prime minister, he had never contributed anything for the north Karnataka. Now, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy was going in the same direction. So, the JDS leaders should once again introspect themselves and give priority for the development of north Karnataka, he demanded.
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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.
