'Regional parties cannot make someone PM without Cong support': H.D Devegouda
Bengaluru, Oct 30: Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda Tuesday said regional parties alone cannot make someone Prime Minister without Congress backing and expressed "complete support" for Rahul Gandhi to be made Prime Minister after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
In these polls, regional parties alone cannot make someone the Prime Minister without the support of the Congress, whose decision would be final, he said.
"In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, no regional parties in the country can make someone Prime Minister, leaving aside Rahul Gandhi. But Congress' decision will be the final," Gowda said.
Speaking to reporters in Ballari, he said "I'm saying directly. My complete support is for Rahul Gandhi to be made the Prime Minister."
Gowda's comments comes over a week after senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said Congress has never stated "officially" that Rahul Gandhi should be the Prime Minister if an opposition alliance formed the next government.
He had insisted the Congress' focus was on dislodging the BJP government and bringing in a "progressive" alternative.
Chidambaram had told News 18 Tamil TV channel on October 22 in Chennai that the decision on who would be the prime minister in the event of an opposition alliance winning next year's Lok Sabha poll would be taken by its constituents.
Gowda had recently said that the country's secular parties would come together under the Congress leadership to defeat BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, dismissing suggestions that the grand alliance was losing its sheen.
The JDS is running a coalition government with Congress in Karnataka, which came into being after a post-poll arrangement between the two parties following a fractured verdict in the May assembly polls.
Hitting out at the BJP for calling the Congress-JD(S) coalition as an "unholy alliance", the former Prime Minister questioned the saffron party by asking whether the alliance was "holy" when they joined hands with the JD(S) faction headed by H D Kumaraswamy to form the government in 2006.
Gowda was in Ballari to campaign for the coalition candidate V S Ugrappa of the Congress for the November 3 by-polls to Ballari Lok Sabha constituency.
Ugrappa, largely seen as an "outsider" to Ballari, is pitted against J Shantha of the BJP.
Shantha is the sister of BJP leader B Sriramulu, considered a close confidante of mining baron G Janardhana Reddy.
By-polls for three Lok Sabha constituencies -- Shivamogga, Ballari and Mandya and two assembly constituencies- Ramanagara and Jamkhandi, will take place on November 3.
The counting of votes will be on November 6.
The ruling coalition partners Congress and JDS have decided to fight the by-polls unitedly against the BJP.
Congress has fielded its candidates in Jamkhandi and Ballari and JD(S) in Shivamogga, Ramanagara and Mandya.
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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.
