Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai calls Bengaluru traffic ‘most notorious’
Bengaluru (PTI): Bengaluru’s traffic woes resurfaced after Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai criticised the authorities for the "worst traffic management", calling the city’s roads the "most notorious".
Rai, who was in Bengaluru on Sunday, tagged Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in a post on 'X', saying he had been stuck for an hour on Rajkumar Samadhi Road and was at risk of missing his flight.
Reacting to the criticism, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who also oversees Bengaluru development, said he would meet the MP in Delhi and show him the traffic situation in the national capital.
"Okay. Let me meet him in Delhi and show him what traffic is like in Delhi. I will also tag him," Shivakumar told reporters.
In his post on November 30, Rai wrote: "I’m sorry, but you have the worst traffic management, and the most irresponsible, useless traffic police. They don’t even pick up phone calls — here is the screenshot of my attempt to speak to them; none of them picked up my call."
"For the last one hour, we were stuck at the same place on Rajkumar Samadhi Road. I am going to miss my flight; tomorrow I have to attend the Parliament session. Not a single policeman was seen around," he added.
"These inefficient officers are enough to spoil the name and charm of this beautiful city. No doubt Bengaluru traffic has earned the reputation of the most notorious traffic," Rai further said, tagging the Bengaluru Police Commissioner.
In recent months, the state government has faced mounting pressure from industry bodies and citizens over Bengaluru’s traffic and infrastructure issues.
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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.
