Karnataka Cong chief DK Shivakumar alleges CMO is asking returning officers to reject its candidates' applications

KPCC chief DK Shivakumar on Saturday alleged CM Bommai's office is calling up returning officers and asking them to reject applications of Congress' candidates.

Published on: Apr 22, 2023, 12:07:58 IST

By Yamini C S

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Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief DK Shivakumar, a candidate from the Kanakapura assembly constituency in the upcoming May 10 polls in the state, on Saturday alleged Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's office was calling up the returning officers of various districts to find defects in the applications filed by its candidates.

Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar is contesting from the Kanakapura assembly constituency in the upcoming May 10 polls in the state. (PTI)

He also claimed CM Bommai asked them to rectify the mistakes in those of BJP nominees contesting the crucial election. Shivakumar demanded that the Election Commission (EC) should investigate the matter and summon the call details of the CMO to ascertain the “truth”.

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“BJP legal team and CM Office are trying everything to make sure Congress candidates' nominations are disqualified. I request ECI to collect the call register of the CM. In Savadatti also, the same thing happened. CM himself called officials,” he told news agency ANI.

“You know how they acted in my case even after I filed nominations many times. They tried to disqualify my application also. CM Office itself is participating in malpractice to tell Returning officials to accept their applicants' applications, CM himself is involved in it,” he added.

In a surprise move hours before the deadline for filing nomination papers on Thursday, Bengaluru Rural MP and the brother of DK Shivakumar – DK Suresh – entered the fray from Kanakapura as well. Foreseeing a conspiracy at play, he did so as “backup plan” in case his brother's nomination got rejected by the EC.

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However, Shivakumar's nomination was accepted from Kanakapura, the state unit of the grand old party said on Friday.

Shivakumar also said many leaders are joining the Congress ahead of the election. “Kalyana Karnataka's several leaders already joined us. Many others are wishing to join Congress in the district and taluk units, I've also suggested our leaders the same. I welcome those who want to join us. Vishwanath Patil, a 3-time former MLA is also joining us. Chittapur is an important constituency. Arvind Chauhan is also joining us,” he said.

(With PTI inputs)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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