With the Karnataka assembly elections fast approaching, Congress has made a serious allegation against Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s office. They claim that the CMO is contacting returning officers of various districts to find defects in the applications filed by Congress candidates and rectify the mistakes in those of BJP nominees. KPCC chief D K Shivakumar demanded that the Election Commission investigate the matter and summon the call details of the CMO to ascertain the truth.
‘A major conspiracy is going on to reject the applications of the Congress candidates,’ Shivakumar said in a press conference, adding that there is no need to elaborate how a big team is trying to reject his application. He also claimed that pressure is being built on all the returning officers, and there is rampant misuse of power.
Shivakumar filed the election form 10 times and said, ‘when they can do this to me, then imagine what they can do to the ordinary candidates.’ He demanded that the EC take note of it, and the CMO be investigated.
In response to Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje’s accusation that Congress was collecting ‘bribe’ from the candidates given tickets to contest the Assembly election, Shivakumar denied the allegation, saying, ‘We are only raising building fund for our party. We are collecting Rs 2 lakh from general candidates and Rs 1 lakh from SC/ST candidates.’
The opposition Congress is locked in a tussle with the ruling BJP to wrest power in Karnataka with the JD(S) also an important player as polling is just weeks away. Karnataka will vote in a single phase on May 10, and the results will be declared on May 13.
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