K'taka BJP slams Dy CM Shivakumar over Sringeri recount remarks

Bengaluru, May 3 The Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday strongly criticised Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar over his remarks on the Sringeri Assembly constituency recount, terming them “childish” and alleging that they amount to an insult to the Constitution and the judiciary.

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi T. Narayanaswamy, in a statement issued following the completion of the recount process, said Shivakumar’s comments were not merely politically motivated but reflected “the peak of frustration” on the part of the Congress.

He accused the party of being unable to accept the outcome and resorting to what he described as “false narratives”.

Addressing Shivakumar directly, Narayanaswamy said that while political disappointment is understandable, it should not come at the cost of undermining the dignity of the judiciary.

He urged the Congress to accept the people’s verdict and refrain from making allegations against officials and BJP candidate D.N. Jeevaraj.

The BJP leader stated that the verdict in Sringeri reflects both the will of the people and the upholding of justice.

Questioning Shivakumar’s alleged description of the recount process as a “criminal activity”, Narayanaswamy said the exercise had been carried out strictly in accordance with the High Court’s directions.

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He further alleged that the Congress lacks faith in both the electoral process and judicial institutions, and claimed that it has a history of targeting constitutional bodies whenever election results do not go in its favour.

Referring to the Sringeri recount, the BJP leader said the process had exposed what he called attempts at “vote manipulation”, and added that the outcome was a reflection of the truth.

He also invoked a Kannada literary line to suggest that when truth is evident, attempts to mislead the public will not succeed.

Narayanaswamy dismissed allegations of misuse of officials as “baseless”, stating that a process conducted under the supervision of the court leaves no scope for bias. He also described the Congress’ indication of pursuing a legal battle as an attempt to “cover up defeat”.

He said that questioning the transparency of postal ballot counting amounts to casting doubt on the impartiality of the Election Commission.

It may be recalled that following the completion of the reverification and recounting of postal ballots in the Sringeri constituency in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, carried out on the orders of the Karnataka High Court, the BJP claimed victory. Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar on Sunday alleged that a “large-scale conspiracy and systematic crime” had taken place in the Assembly seat in Chikkamagaluru district, calling it a blot on the country and democracy.

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