Ugrappa doubts free and fair bypolls in state

Senior Congress leader V S Ugrappa has said that the Union government had been "misusing" the Election Commission of India and hene free and fair bypolls in the state were doubtful.

"While an officer of the Election Commission says in Bengaluru that the disqualified MLAs cannot contest bypolls, the counsel for the Commission makes a submission in the Supreme Court stating that there was no bar on such MLAs to contest polls. This is a clear instance of the Centre controlling the ECI. The counsel made the submission in SC on the direction of Home Minister Amit Shah," Ugrappa alleged.

He said that the Election Commission had nothing to do with the plea filed by disqualified MLAs in the Supreme Court and still, it had filed an application seeking early disposal of the case.

Ugrappa said that the Congress will not enter into any pact with the JD(S) for the bypolls and Congress candidates will contest from all the constituencies. The bypolls are a contest between the self-esteem of the voters and opportunistic politics of the BJP, he added.

Accusing the Centre of discriminating against Karnataka, Ugrappa said that both the Union and state governments had utterly failed in coming to the rescue of the flood victims.