With not more than a fortnight to go for the crucial bye-polls in two assembly constituencies in Karnataka, the two main parties, BJP and Congress, have started dragging their battle to the EC. On Saturday, Congress MLC Ugrappa petitioned the Election Commission seeking action against BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa, for what he called "casting undue influence on voters" of Gundulpet constituency.
Gundulpet and Nanjangud constituencies are set to go to polls following the death of Cooperative Minister Mahadeva Prasad and the resignation of V Srinivas Prasad as Congress MLA, respectively.
While the ruling Congress is striving to hold on to power, as the bye-poll results would have a bearing on the party's fate in the 2018 polls, the party has left no stone unturned in resisting the BJP.
According to the letter, Ugrappa accuses the BJP of indulging in unfair practices during campaigning.
Yeddyurappa has been accused of asking the voters to take an oath in the name of God that they would support the BJP candidate Niranjan Kumar. The letter states that Yeddyurappa also promised that he would adopt the constituency if he becomes the Chief Minister of the state.
"He (Yeddyurappa) appealed to the voters to cast their votes in favour of BJP candidate Niranjan Kumar stating that he is going to become a Chief Minister of Karnataka and he will stick to his promises/words and he will take adoption of Gundlupet Assembly constituency for development," Ugrappa wrote, according to PTI which published an excerpt of Ugrappa's letter.
Accusing the BJP of promoting enmity between groups, Ugrappa asked the Election Commission to register criminal cases against Yeddyurappa and Niranjan Kumar.
Earlier, on March 19, the BJP had petitioned the EC asking for four officials involved in election duty to be transferred, accusing them of being "agents of Congress."