Union Minister lodges complaint with EC against Shivakumar for collecting ‘bribe’ from Congress candidates

Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje has also sought appropriate action against the Congress state chief

Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje on Friday demanded action against the Congress state president D K Shivakumar for allegedly seeking bribe while issuing B-Forms to party candidates ahead of filing nominations for the May 10 assembly election in Karnataka.

Karandlaje, who is also the convener of the State Election Management Committee, alleged that Shivakumar has gone on record saying the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee has collected money from the ticket aspirants, in violation of the poll code.

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In her complaint to the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka Manoj Kumar Meena, she sought appropriate action against the Congress state chief as well as all the candidates of Congress.

“Shivakumar, who is also the authorised person to issue B-Forms for contesting elections has gone on record and has openly stated that the KPCC has collected money from ticket aspirants of the Congress party. This is nothing but bribery under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code and also a grave violation of the election laws and the Model Code of Conduct,” Karandlaje, who is a Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, said in her complaint.