MLC polls: Hegde sees bid to snatch voters' rights

Says voters need not fear about casting second preference votes

Independent candidate for the Legislative Council election K Jayaprakash Hedge called upon both Congress and BJP to stop threatening voters against casting the second preferential votes.

Speaking to media persons here on Friday, he said both BJP and Congress are making the voters fear against casting their second preferential votes stating that voting in the Legislative Council polls are no longer a secret ballot.

He added that the democratically and Constitutionally held polls always remain secret and the voters need not fear against casting the second preference vote and alleged that the political leaders are into unconstitutional activities. There is an attempt to snatch the rights of the voters, he charged.

Coming down heavily on the District Congress Committee and the party leaders, Hegde said that the party is highly biased. The party is supporting former JD(S) leader (Deviprasad Shetty), who is now in the Congress, for seeking votes in the name of both BJP and Congress candidates. Is it not an anti-party activity, he questioned.

He criticised that there are a lot of differences in the District Congress Committee and the leaders are busy pulling each other’s legs in the race for power.The Congress candidate is an inactive politician and if the party wants a dumb candidate, no one can help, he ridiculed. He hilariously remarked that MLC Ivan D’Souza has already approved that the MLC need not pay visits to the gram panchayats, so the tradition will continue uninterrupted if the Congress candidate wins.

Maintaining that complete autonomy is needed to the gram panchayats, the former MP said autonomous status should be equal to that Mandal Panchayats during the tenure of the former chief minister Ramakrishna Hedge.

He said it is essential to empower gram panchayats in terms of funding. He said he wants the votes of all and added that he is likely to get the first preference votes required for the mandate.

Declining to comment about Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Hedge said that he shared a cordial relationship both with the chief minister and the KPCC president until he disagreed for the withdrawal of his candidature, following which he is not in contact with the duo, who initially supported and preferred him against the present candidate, he added.

Sorake’s statement
Meanwhile, Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake told reporters that Hegde has lost his moral right to speak about the party and the internal facts following his expulsion from the party.

He said Hegde should stop talking negatively against Congress candidate. The party is confident that Prathapchandra Shetty would win and there is no need for the fake propaganda, he added.

Congress leader Deviprasad Shetty said that Prathapchandra Shetty from Congress and Kota Srinivas Poojary from BJP are the only personalities who have contributed immensely for the growth of gram panchayats in the area. There is no any hidden agenda and party politics. The only aspiration is to choose the right candidates who can voice the concern for gram panchayats. The gram panchayat members are not elected on party symbols. The members will not tolerate any attempt to cut the powers of the gram panchayats short, he claimed.