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Kharge’s Assembly Dissolution Demand Puts Congress in Kerala Under Pressure
Mallikarjun Kharge said elections should be held again using paper ballots.
He called for dissolving India’s Parliament and state assemblies.
The Congress-led UDF recently won most of the seats in Kerala’s Assembly.
The BJP says Kharge’s statement also makes people question that Kerala election.
It accuses Congress of questioning election results only when it suits the party.
Congress and the CPI(M) had objected to when a voter-list exercise was scheduled, but did not make serious allegations about it in Kerala.
The BJP is considering protests and has asked Chief Minister V D Satheesan to resign.
The article says there has been little protest in Kerala over the broader allegations.
Mallikarjun Kharge called elections illegal and urged dissolving the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, followed by fresh ballot-paper polls.
The Congress-led UDF won 102 of Kerala’s 140 Assembly seats this year; the BJP won three.
The BJP says Kharge’s remarks cast doubt on the Kerala election and accuse Congress of applying inconsistent standards.
Congress and the CPI(M) did not raise major objections to Kerala’s SIR, though they objected to its timing.
The BJP is discussing protests and has demanded Chief Minister V D Satheesan’s resignation.
- Who
- Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the BJP’s Kerala unit, and the Congress-led UDF government.
- What
- The BJP is using Kharge’s call to dissolve assemblies and rerun elections to question the legitimacy of Kerala’s election and accuse Congress of double standards.
- Where
- Kerala, with Kharge’s statement and Opposition protests also discussed in the national political context.
- When
- Kharge made his statement last week; the BJP discussed the issue at a core committee meeting on Thursday.
- Why
- The BJP argues that Kharge’s claim that elections were illegal should apply to Kerala, where the UDF won the Assembly election.
Congress and UDF position
BJP position
Legitimacy of the Kerala election
Congress and UDF position
Kharge called elections illegal and sought fresh polls, but the article reports no specific Congress claim that the Kerala result was illegitimate.
BJP position
The BJP argues that Kharge’s statement must also apply to Kerala and asks whether its Assembly and elected members are legitimate.
Congress’s stance on election irregularities
Congress and UDF position
Congress has alleged electronic voting machine irregularities and objected to the timing of the SIR in Kerala.
BJP position
The BJP accuses Congress of double standards because it questions election outcomes while the UDF won Kerala’s election and its leaders did not make serious allegations about the SIR there.
Key facts
- UDF seats
- 102 of 140 seats in the Kerala Assembly
- BJP seats
- 3
- Left Democratic Front seats
- 35
- Kharge’s demand
- Dissolve the Lok Sabha and state assemblies and hold fresh elections using ballot papers
- SIR objection
- Congress and the CPI(M) mainly objected to the exercise’s timing in Kerala, not to its conduct
- BJP response
- The party discussed the alleged Congress double standard and said it would seek Satheesan’s resignation
Quotes
Rajeev Chandrasekhar
BJP state president and Nemom MLA
“If what the Congress president said is correct, Keralam Chief Minister came into power through rigging of the elections. At the same time, the chief minister was also seen participating in a protest in Delhi against the SIR. By taking part in that protest, he has brought humiliation upon the people of Kerala.”
indianexpress.com
“Why is Congress selectively questioning the outcome of elections held after the SIR? If the results are doubtful, is that not applicable to the results of Keralam elections too? The BJP will hold protests demanding the resignation of Satheesan as the chief minister.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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