Somanna says Hegde lost ticket due to his ‘Changing Constitution’ statement
In Turuvekere on Monday, V Somanna, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for the Tumkur Lok Sabha constituency, addressed the media, shedding light on the denial of ticket to MP Anantkumar Hegde this time around. Somanna attributed Hegde's exclusion from the ticket to his repeated statements regarding the alteration of the Constitution.
Reflecting on Hegde's political career as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Uttar Kannada, Somanna remarked that the constituency had not witnessed significant development during his six-term tenure. Somanna criticized Hegde for primarily focusing on issues related to Hindutva and advocating for changes to the Constitution rather than actively engaging in developmental initiatives.
"Despite serving as an MP for approximately 28 years, Anantkumar Hegde's tenure did not yield notable developmental outcomes for the constituency," Somanna asserted. He further highlighted Hegde's conspicuous absence from public engagements following his victory in the 2019 elections and his lack of involvement in party organization activities.
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Somanna underscored that Hegde's controversial remarks regarding the alteration of the Constitution had repeatedly caused embarrassment to the BJP. These collective factors, according to Somanna, led to the party's decision to withhold the ticket from Hegde for the upcoming elections.
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Won't contest bypolls until EC prevents fake voting: Mayawati
Lucknow (PTI): BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday alleged irregularities in voting in the recent Uttar Pradesh bypolls and said her party will not contest by-elections in future, particularly in the state, "until Election Commission takes measures to prevent fake voting".
By-elections to nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh were held on November 20 and results of it were declared on Saturday. Bahujan Samaj Party contested all nine seats but failed to win any.
"In the bypolls held for nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, there is widespread discussion about the votes cast and the results announced yesterday. I am not saying this myself; it is a common perception among people that earlier, during elections conducted with ballot papers, fake votes were cast by misusing the system, often through fraud," Mayawati said in a press conference here.
"Now, similar practices are being carried out using EVMs, which is a matter of deep sorrow and concern for democracy," the former UP chief minister said.
Not only this, but these activities are now being executed more openly, especially during by-elections, as opposed to general elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, she claimed.
"We recently witnessed this in the Uttar Pradesh bypolls. Similar concerns have also been raised regarding the recent general elections in Maharashtra. This is a major warning bell for democracy in our country," she said.
"Given this situation, our party has decided that until the Election Commission of India takes strict measures to prevent fake voting, we will not participate in any by-elections across the country, particularly in Uttar Pradesh. I am specifically referring to by-elections here," Mayawati said.
As far as general elections are concerned, she continued, there is a somewhat better safeguard because the fear of power changing hands makes the ruling party more cautious.
"In general elections, it is not guaranteed that the party in power will return to power and another party may take over. This fear keeps the government machinery somewhat restrained," she added.
Considering all these factors, our party will contest general elections for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies with full preparation and strength, Mayawati stressed.
In the bypolls, the BJP and its ally RLD together won seven seats while Samajwadi Party candidates emerged victorious on two.
