Kumaraswamy lashes at EC: 'Central govt is illegally running the EC'

With the upcoming polls nearing in Karnataka, former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday reiterated that his party will contest in all the 15 constituencies by themselves. JD(S) had broken its poll alaince with Congress after the fall of the colaition government.

'Central government is illegally running the Election Commission'

Retorting to the EC's decision to defer polls keeping ythe rebel MLAs SC plea in view, Kumaraswamy said that,

"First time this kind of decision given by the authorities. Election commission is a puppet of Central govt. On the direction of Central govt, they are illegally running the Election commission"

READ: CBI raids on ex-COP: "no reason to panic," says HD Kumaraswamy

EC tells SC it will defer by-polls

Earlier in the day, the Election Commission told the Supreme Court that it would defer the upcoming by-polls of 15 Assembly constituencies in Karnataka, whose MLAs were disqualified earlier. The Supreme Court is currently hearing the plea by the rebel MLAs challenging the order of former Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar disqualifying them from the House. The EC had opposed the plea of disqualified MLAs to stay the elections till the SC verdict on their petitioning challenging former speaker’s actions. Meanwhile, the apex court will continue to hear the case on October 22. Both rebel MLAs and Congress have stated that they have no objections to the deferring of polls.

READ: SC to hear plea of disqualified Karnataka MLAs to contest by-polls

Karnataka Assembly and the by-polls

The halfway mark in Karnataka assembly is 112 and in a truncated assembly, BJP had won the trust vote comfortably as the magic number was 105.BJP legislators, with the support of an independent MLA, had sailed smoothly. In the upcoming by-polls, BJP will have to win at least 8 of the 15 seats to retain their government in the state. The opposition parties, Congress and JDS, which had formed the previous government together have decided to fight the by-elections separately, without a pre-poll alliance with each other. With the wafer-thin majority of the current BJP government, all eyes are set on the SC's verdict and EC's decision. 

READ: Karnataka: EC opposes disqualified MLAs plea in Supreme Court

READ: Karnataka CM Yediyurappa meets HM Shah, seeks Rs 2,000 cr flood relief