Govt has not stopped Kumaraswamy from fighting from his end, clarifies DK Shivakumar
Hassan sex scandal
Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar declared that the government had not obstructed JD(S) State President HD Kumaraswamy from fighting legally in the Hassan sex scandal, where JD(S) MP from Hassan Prajwal Revanna, who is Kumaraswamy's nephew, is the primary accused.
The JD(S) senior leader and former CM of Karnataka was welcome to stand up for the MP as well as his father and Kumaraswamy's elder brother HD Revanna to fight against the allegations faced by the duo, Shivakumar told the reporters who met him near his house at Sadashiva Nagar on Thursday.
He stressed on the freedom given by the state government when a reporter pointed out that Kumaraswamy has been demanding that the case be handed over from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the state government to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a probe. Shivakumar, however, said that he would comment on the CBI taking over the investigation after he returned from the campaign rallies in Andhra Pradesh.
ALSO READ: SIT probe in sexual abuse case involving MP Prajwal 'losing track': JD(S) to petition Governor
The Deputy CM also refused to comment on opinions regarding his involvement in the case, clarifying that he had given his full statement on the issue already. The rest of the matter would be discussed in the Assembly session, he added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
