Seeking the transfer of senior officials in Ramanagaram district for allegedly colluding with Congress candidate in Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituency, former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday urged the Election Commission to deploy paramilitary forces to ensure a free and fair election in the constituency.
“The district officials are offering silent cooperation to Congress candidate D.K. Suresh. They should be immediately transferred. On Sunday night two truckloads of cookers were seized,” he said, releasing the videograph and photographs of the cooker seizures before the media.
Alleging that the election-related irregularities have gone beyond control in the constituency since the date of election was declared, he said, “The Election Commission promised to take action within 100 minutes of such incidents being reported. However, in this case 48 hours has lapsed and no action has been taken. What is Election Commission doing in Karnataka? What are the election officials doing? Don’t they know what’s happening in Bengaluru Rural constituency?” Every agency or senior official has been washing their hands off though they are being intimidated about the seizure by the JD(S) workers, he added.
Mr. Kumaraswamy threatened to ask the party workers to identify places where the cookers were stored and set those places on fire if the Election Commission did not intervene. “Let them file a police complaint. We will see later. The Congress should be ashamed to distribute cookers in the elections despite claiming that guarantees had improved lives of people,” he said.
Attacks Dy.CM
JD(S) State president H.D. Kumaraswamy addressing a press conference in Bengaluru on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Attacking Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar for allegedly trying to destabilise the JD(S), he said, “I am aware of your moves to destroy the party and poaching leaders. I can conduct elections better than you. You can continue your tricks till I come back from the hospital.”
Stating that the earlier decision to go in for an alliance with the Congress was the worst in his life, he said, “You (Mr. Shivakumar) poisoned us and backstabbed us to reduce our influence. You sabotaged Nikhil’s election in Mandya. If the same was done to your brother by us, he would be sitting home by now. You are setting on fire the 60 years of political life of H.D. Deve Gowda. You are buying my friends.”
JD(S) candidates to be announced next week
The Janata Dal (Secular) has kept the decision on candidates for three Lok Sabha seats hanging. Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said that the party candidates will be announced next week after his return from Chennai where he is undergoing a heart procedure on March 21.
“The people of Mandya have expressed their feelings. I will take a decision based on it. I will decide on fighting from Mandya after returning from the hospital. It is most likely that the party workers will be the candidates of the party in our seats.” He also said that the confusion over the Kolar seat has been cleared and JD(S) will be fighting the seat.
Party sources said several BJP leaders spoke to JD(S) leaders over the confusion over the Kolar seat, and said that there was no confusion between the alliance partners. BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra too told mediapersons in Bengaluru that he had spoken to both the BJP high command and JD(S) leaders on the issue and expressed confidence that there would be no confusion between them.
