Karnataka HC to hear plea seeking Siddaramaiah’s disqualification for ‘electoral malpractice’

BENGALURU: An individual has moved the Karnataka High Court seeking the annulment of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s election alleging that voters were lured by distributing Congress Guarantee Cards during the recently concluded Karnataka Assembly elections.

The petition filed by a voter from Varuna constituency, K M Shankara, which came up for hearing on Friday, alleges that the Congress party promised freebies for luring voters. The High Court adjourned the hearing, instructing the office to rectify the objections, and listed the matter for hearing on July 28.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the FCI has suddenly declined to supply rice for the Anna Bhagya scheme.

The five guarantees helped the Congress party to get a clear majority in Karnataka. The guarantee cards signed by CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar were distributed across the state before the election to attract the voters that they will implement these five schemes if the Congress came to power, the petition pointed out.

The plea challenged the election of Siddaramaiah from Varuna constituency under Section 123 (1) of the Representation of the People Act which prohibits luring. It alleged that the Congress party has lured voters by distributing guarantee cards. K M Sankara filed the application in the High Court seeking to invalidate Siddaramaiah’s MLA election. (ANI)