The Election Commission on Friday registered a complaint against Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara for alleged violation of model code of conduct which is in place for the November 3 bye-polls in the state. Parameshwara, who is the Congress’s in-charge of Jamkhandi Assembly bye-poll in Bagalkot district, had asked voters to vote for the Congress in return for repairing a major road. The incident took place on Tuesday.
AG Patil, the Election Commission’s nodal officer for model code of conduct, said, “An FIR has been registered against the minister under the Representation of the People Act 1950, 1951 and 1989 at the Savalgi Police Station.”
Addressing a rally in Savalagi village of Jamkhandi taluk, Parameshwra said, “I have one condition to complete the Savalagi-Jamkhandi road repair work in three months. You should vote for our party candidate. Mere claps for my promise will not work. Is it alright if we enter into such a deal with you?”
Bye-polls in Jamkhandi was necessitated after Congress MLA and former Union Minister Siddu Nyamagouda passed away in a road accident in May shortly after the election.
Following this, the BJP had approached the Election Commission and raised the issue.
Reacting to Parameshwara’s speech, Firebrand BJP MLA CT Ravi and the party’s state General Secretary had said, “Kannadigas want to know if Congis led by Rahul Gandhi are paying from their pockets to develop the state.”
Karnataka's Dy. CM Parameshwara tells Voters of Jamakhandi constituency that he will get roads asphalted in a village within three months provided they vote for CONgress.
— C.T.Ravi (@CTRavi_BJP) October 23, 2018
Kannadigas want to know if CONgis led by Rahul Gandhi are paying from their pockets to develop the State.
The seat is seeing a straight flight between the BJP and Congress with the coalition partners deciding to put up a united front to keep the opposition at bay. While, the coalition has fielded the late MLA Siddu Nyamagouda’s son Anand Siddu, the BJP is pinning its hopes on Shrikant Subarao Kulkarni who lost the Assembly Election by a margin of 3,000 votes.