Winter Session: Speak to groups about demands to prevent protests, Council Chairman tells K'taka CM
Bengaluru: Karnataka Legislative Council Chairperson Basavaraj S Horatti has written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and some of the members of the Cabinet separately, asking the state government to ensure that the Winter Session of the Legislature, to be held in Belagavi in December faces no hitches and the time is not wasted in pacifying protesters.
The Winter Session of the Karnataka Legislature will be held for a period of 10 days at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi from December 4 to 15.
In a press release, the office of the Council Chairperson said that Horatti has written separately to Siddaramaiah, Agriculture Minister Cheluvarayaswamy, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda as well as Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Madhu Bangarappa, informing them that several people had complained to him that a lot of precious time was being wasted in repeated protests related to several issues. He also advised the Cabinet members to ensure that the Winter Session did not face this problem but was used fruitfully.
The Council Chairperson has written to the CM that, while it is common for people's organizations to stage protests to put forth their demands in relation to various departments like Agriculture, Education and Revenue, it would be advisable for the heads of the departments to hold discussions with the organizations regarding their demands well in advance of the Winter Session and also try to fulfill the demands of the groups. This would also give the government departments an opportunity to request the organizations not to stage protests outside the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi in coincidence with the Legislature Session, Horatti added, also asking Siddaramaiah to instruct his Cabinet ministers on the matter.
A reduction in the number of protests during the Session would give the government time and opportunity to hold discussions in the Legislature and find solutions to major issues and serious problems of the people. This, in turn, would prove the North Karnataka Session of the Legislature successful, with the government gaining the trust of the people in the region, Horatti reminded in his letter, said his office in the press release.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
