Strengthen Congress to regain past glory in coastal districts: D K Shivakumar
Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and state PCC president D K Shivakumar has urged party workers in the coastal districts to strengthen the Congress to regain its past glory in the region.
Addressing a workers' meeting at the district Congress committee office Wednesday evening, he said the state-level convention of the party will be held in Mangaluru next month to prepare ground for the coming Lok Sabha elections.
AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and other national leaders are expected to attend the convention, to be jointly organised by the district units of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.
He said the party should be activated at the booth-level by involving more youth and the people should be made aware of the benefits of the guarantees implemented by the Congress government in the state.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and state PCC president D K Shivakumar has urged party workers in the coastal districts to strengthen the Congress to regain its past glory in the region.
Addressing a workers' meeting at the district Congress committee office Wednesday evening, he said the state-level convention of the party will be held in Mangaluru next month to prepare ground for the coming Lok Sabha elections.
AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and other national leaders are expected to attend the convention, to be jointly organised by the district units of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.
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He said the party should be activated at the booth-level by involving more youth and the people should be made aware of the benefits of the guarantees implemented by the Congress government in the state.
Shivakumar said the party needs more activists at the booth-level than leaders. The differences in the party in Sullia block of DK district should be sorted out among leaders.
He said the party workers should not get disappointed over the results of the last Assembly elections in the two districts where it could only win two seats. Attempts should be made to turn the Congress into a cadre-based party with the active involvement of result-oriented workers.
Later taking part in the annual conference of Karnataka state Sunni Yuvajana Sangha (SYS), Shivakumar said the Siddramaiah-led government is committed to protecting the rights of the minorities.
Without commenting on the contentious issues raised at the conference including hijab, he said the future of the country rests in the hands of the youth.
Earlier, talking to reporters, Shivakumar said the hijab issue and related religious matters are before court and should be addressed within the framework of law and the Constitution, ensuring protection of the rights of all religions.
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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.
