Vijayendra slams CM, seeks his apologies for attacking EC

Bengaluru: BJP State President B Y Vijayendra on Friday came down heavily on the Congress party, demanding that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar apologise to the people of Karnataka for casting aspersions on the Election Commission of India.

He said the Congress leaders were sowing seeds of suspicion in the minds of the public by questioning the integrity of a constitutional institution.

Speaking at a press conference, Vijayendra said, “Rahul Gandhi has accused the BJP of misusing the Election Commission during the previous Lok Sabha elections. Now, CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar have echoed the same allegations. Questioning a constitutional body like the Election Commission is not only an insult to the institution but also an anti-democratic act.”

Challenging the Congress’s claims, Vijayendra asked, “If the Election Commission was really misused, how did the Congress come to power in Karnataka with 134 seats in 2023 assembly election? Would it have been possible for Siddaramaiah to become the Chief Minister? Didn’t Congress also win the bypolls in three assembly constituencies? How did that happen if the elections were manipulated.