1,715 EVMs ready to lock destiny of candidates in Dakshina Kannada

[email protected] (CD Network, Photos by Ahmed Anwar)

May 4, 2013

Mangalore, May 4: About 8,575 polling staff in the Dakshina Kannada district were provided with election related material including Electronic Voting Machine (EVMs) on Saturday as the district goes to polls on May 5.

Polling staff gathered at eight different centres in the district where they were provided with EVMs and other election related material such as voters' lists and related documents booth-wise.

A total of 1715 EVMs were distributed to each of the 1,715 polling stations in the district. An additional 172 EVMs have been also given in case a voting machine goes kaput or encounters any kind of technical glitch.

EVMs were distributed to polling staff at Canara College (204 – Mangalore constituency), Canara High School, Urwa (203-Mangalore South constituency), Gokarnatha College, Mannagudda (202 constituency), Infant Jesus Higher Primary School, Mudankapu (205- Bantwal constituency), SDM, Ujire (200- Belthangady constituency), Vivekananda High School, Puttur (206- Puttur constituency) and Nehru Memorial College, Sullia (207- Sullia constituency).

Speaking to Coastaldigest.com, C Nagaraj, Returning Officer, 201- Moodbidri constituency, who was overseeing the EVM distribution programme at the constituency's centre set up at Ramakrishna School in Bunts Hostel, said that all EVMs in all centres have already gone through a mock polling process and all machines are working alright.

“Up to 1000 votes were cast as part of the mock voting exercise and all machines are in perfect condition. One round of mock voting has also been carried out in the presence of representatives of political parties too. Tomorrow morning before the polling process begins, our PROs will carry out a re-test of the machines”, Mr. Nagaraj said.

Police personnel have also been deployed for election duty in all booths. Additional personnel have been deployed in naxal affected areas and those polling booths which need greater scrutiny and protection. Services of Central Para Military Forces (CPMF) are also being utilized across the district as number of police personnel as such is not sufficient.

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‘Have letter, next step is...’: MUDA on Siddaramaiah’s wife’s offer to return plots

News Network

October 1,2024

Mysuru: The Mysuru land authority at the centre of a financial and political storm - involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and alleged losses of ₹ 45 crore to the state - has received an offer of restitution from his wife, the urban development body's Commissioner, AN Raghunandan said.

"I am in possession of a letter written by Siddaramaiah's wife regarding her intention to return 14 plots (of land). The Chief Minister's son, Yatindra Siddaramaiah, came to our office and delivered the letter. We will take legal advice for the next step..." he told reporters in Mysuru.

Mr Raghunandan also confirmed anti-corruption officials from the city's Lokayukta branch had written seeking cooperation in its inquiry into the charges against the Chief Minister.

He said the Mysuru Urban Development Authority, or MUDA, "will cooperate with the investigation".

The Enforcement Directorate, however, have not reached out as yet, Mr Raghunandan said. The ED, a federal agency, has filed a money laundering case against Siddaramaiah.

There have also been calls for the CBI, another federal agency, to investigate charges against the Chief Minister, but that appears unlikely now given the Karnataka government has withdrawn general consent for its operations in the state. Law Minister HK Patil made the announcement last week.

He ruled out any link with demands for the Chief Minister to be investigated by the CBI, which reports to the BJP-led central government and the ruling Congress and other opposition parties have claimed is being used by that party to target rival leaders, particularly before elections.

On Monday - three days after the Lokayukta filed a case against the Chief Minister, and hours after the ED launched its probe- Siddaramaiah's wife said she had planned to give up the land earlier but was advised against it the allegations against her husband are "politically motivated".

But now, she said, she had made up her mind as "no house, plot, or wealth is more important than my husband's honor, dignity, and peace of mind". She also said the decision was hers alone; "... I am not aware of my husband's opinion on this matter, nor do I concern myself with what my son thinks".

And, in a comment seen as a calculated swipe at the opposition BJP, which is leading calls for the Chief Minister's resignation, his wife also made an emotional appeal to "all political parties and the media" to "please not drag women of political families into the controversy to settle political scores".

Investigative action against the Chief Minister follows the Karnataka High Court quashing a challenge to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot's order sanctioning Siddaramaiah's prosecution.

Subsequently a trial court ordered framing of charges and directed the Lokayukta to complete the investigation within three months. The ED case was filed based on the Lokayukta FIR.

Siddaramaiah faces an inquiry into claims Parvathi was allotted 14 plots of land in an upmarket Mysuru area as compensation for land elsewhere - holding a far lower value - taken for infrastructure projects.

The Chief Minister has denied all charges and refused calls to resign.

He has been backed by the Congress and his deputy, DK Shivakumar, who is also the state unit boss, and also by members of his cabinet, including IT Minister Priyank Kharge. However, some within the Congress also want him to quit, such as former Assembly Speaker KB Koliwad.

"I will fight. I am not afraid of anything. We are ready to face the investigation. I will fight this legally," he said last week after the High Court had quashed his challenge to the Governor's sanction.

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