Karnataka - Hassan   

JD(S) accuses Srikantaiah of misusing official machinery

By Our Staff Correspondent

HASSAN, APRIL 25. The former Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader, H.D. Revanna, has accused the Revenue Minister and district in-charge, H.C. Srikantaiah, of misusing the official machinery.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, he expressed apprehension over booth capturing in his constituency (Holenarsipur) on the lines of the Satanur incident in the Kanakapura Lok Sabha Constituency. He urged the Returning Officer to strengthen security arrangements to avert clashes during polling.

Accusing the Deputy Commissioner of "obliging" Mr. Srikantaiah, he alleged that the Congress had tampered with the voters' list. Presenting a document to the press, he said the names of 24 members of a family had been included in the voters' list of three polling booths. Mr. Revanna said that though he had complained to the Returning Officer in this regard, no action had been taken.

Quoting the reported statement of the Congress candidate for the Holenarsipur Assembly Constituency, G. Puttaswamy Gowda, that there would be a bloodbath in the constituency, he said it was now up to the district administration to take steps to prevent violence during the election.

Mr. Revanna expressed the confidence that the Janata Dal (S) would win all the eight Assembly seats in the district. The former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda's victory from the Hassan Lok Sabha Constituency was a foregone conclusion, he said.

Media criticised

Bache Gowda, senior Janata Dal (Secular) leader and publicity in-charge of the party, on Sunday raised apprehensions about the opinion polls and exit polls conducted by several media houses across the country. He said it was an attempt to manufacture public opinion in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress.

Addressing a press conference here, he said there were many lacunas in the opinion and exit polls conducted by the media houses. The selection of the sample to elicit responses was unscientific as rural people had not been taken into consideration, he added. He expressed the hope that the Janata Dal (S) would get a working majority and form the Government in the State.

Reacting to the advertisements appearing in the print media on the results of the exit polls, he said they were not advertisements but the achievements of a party that would fetch it votes.

The former Union Minister, C.M. Ibrahim, said the surveys were largely modelled on the lines of those conducted in the U.S., and did not take the local conditions into account.

He said the Janata Dal (S) would repeat its 1994 performance this time. "People support Janata Parivar once in 10 years," he added.

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