Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (ANK)
Mangaluru, Apr 16: Chief whip of the state Legislative Council MLC Ivan D'Souza on Monday April 16 said that the election commission officials in the district in their eagerness to follow the model code of conduct were 'exceeding limits' and that it seemed to have 'failed' to understand the poll code. His comments came in the backdrop of the arrest of Steven during a private engagement ceremony for possessing liquor.
Addressing a press meet here, Ivan D'Souza said, "I feel the election commission officials are exceeding their limits in the district. We are not supposed to even hold private functions. Politicians should not be invited to marriage functions. This is not an emergency, I am not sure whether the deputy commissioner is aware of it. I think the election commission officials have failed to understand the model code of conduct. I will submit a memorandum to the Election Commission regarding this."
He also said that the upcoming Karnataka Assembly election is a fight between 'truth and untruth, democracy and dictatorship, ugly rich and the poor, divisive forces and uniting forces'.
"For the first time, Congress announced 218 candidates at a time before the process of filing nominations starts. We have built a strong team for the upcoming elections. We are confident that Congress will rule for the next five years and Rahul Gandhi will definitely become the next Prime Minister.
"All the 218 candidates announced so far are all good candidates. The party has given priority to all sections of the society while finalising the list. We will gain the upper hand in the forthcoming elections and reach our target of acquiring 140 seats, including all the eight constituencies in the district. We have provided clean administration without any allegations. Ours is a corruption-free government. Rahul Gandhi represents light, while BJP president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Modi who divide the society represent darkness. They will not succeed as people want to live in peace and harmony," he said.
He also said that Congress would be holding a protest on April 17 against the brutal rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl in Kathua.
When asked about being denied the ticket from Moodbidri constituency for which he was aspirant, he said, "It is the decision of the party. In the beginning Abhaychandra Jain was not willing to contest the elections, so I had applied. Later he changed his mind and chose to contest. The work I have done in Moodbidri will work as an advantage to Jain as well as for the party. I wish him all the best. He will definitely win the elections by a big margin."