“Polls without voting,” Actor Kishore flags concerns over unopposed election of Mahayuti candidates
Bengaluru: Popular Actor Kishore Kumar has expressed concern over the unopposed election of 68 Mahayuti alliance candidates before the polling date, January 15.
Of the 68 candidates elected unopposed across the state, 44 belong to the BJP.
In a post on his Facebook handle, Kishore wrote, "Mother of democracy- Only democracy where elections happen without voting"
The BJP-led alliance is also poised to take control of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the country’s richest civic body. Out of the 227 seats in the BMC, the Mahayuti alliance has secured 118 seats, with the BJP winning 89 seats and its ally, the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), securing 29 seats.
Why did so many candidates get elected unopposed?
The unusually high number of unopposed victories in Maharashtra’s civic polls is reportedly the result of mass withdrawals by opposition candidates on the final day of nominations, leaving Mahayuti nominees as the sole contenders in several wards.
Opposition alleges coercion, money power behind withdrawals
Meanwhile, opposition parties have alleged that the unopposed elections were won through intimidation and inducements.
Leaders from the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, MNS, AAP and Samajwadi Party have claimed that rival candidates were pressured to withdraw, with allegations ranging from threats to offers of large sums of money.
According to a report by The Hindu, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut alleged that candidates were offered up to ₹5 crore to exit the race.
In the meantime, Avinash Anant Jadhav of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has filed a writ petition filed in the Bombay High Court seeking judicial intervention to probe the circumstances behind these mass withdrawals.
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.
Trump says he ‘hasn’t even thought about’ continuing Iran ceasefire
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet considered whether he would continue the ceasefire involving Iran, while also claiming the United States holds the advantage in negotiations.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was prepared to make a deal with “whoever is running the show” in Iran.
“They are fighting with each other, there’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership in many cases. I think they’re fighting not to be leader because we knocked out two levels of leaders,” he said.
Trump added, “When they want they can call me. We have all the cards, we’ve won everything.”
Referring to ongoing negotiations, he said, “They gave us a paper that should’ve been better. And, interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it [envoy trip to Pakistan], within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better.”
“We talked about they will not have a nuclear weapon, very simple … They offered a lot, but not enough,” he added.
When asked whether he would continue the ceasefire, Trump replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.”
The remarks come as uncertainty remains over the future of the temporary truce and broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
