FAITH AND GOVERNANCE: AN INEVITABLE COLLISION?
BJP candidate Tejasvi Surya booked by EC for soliciting votes on the grounds of religion
News
starktimes.com
Written by Ada Khan and Siddhi Patil
Tejasvi Surya, BJP (Bhartiya Janta Party) MP and Bangalore south candidate has been booked under the grounds of soliciting votes under the pretext of religion. The Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka confirmed on X saying that, "Case is booked against Tejasvi Surya MP and Candidate of Bengaluru South PC on 25.04.24 at Jayanagar PS u/s 123(3) for posting a video in X handle and soliciting votes on the ground of religion." Surya was booked for this violation of the election code just before the polling day.
Police sources also said they have taken cognisance of another post of Mr. Surya, where he allegedly sought votes citing the Ram Mandir and asked people to vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ‘a better and secure future’. Based on the complaint, the police have registered a case under the Representation of the People Act. The police will seek the permission of the court to further investigation. He is known to be one of the most prominent contesters from Bangalore South and is going against Soumya Reddy of the INC (Indian National Congress), who is the daughter of State Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy.
Credits: X
THE VOTER’S RESPONSE
On the 26th of April, students of the National School of Journalism visited the polling booth in the Vijaya Bharati Vidyalaya in Girinagar which comes under Surya’s constituency where a voter turnout of 53.1% was recorded. Our student journalists also interacted with enthusiastic voters in the area.
Credits: Pratiksha Ghosh
Bindiya, a local Bangalorean told our student journalist Ada Khan that, “I feel that this year the youth plays a major role in the voter turnout and I’m also hopeful because the contesting candidates also make up the youth.”
A first-time voter Aflah Shahdil was excited about casting his vote and he also expressed his views on the parties’ election manifestos and said that “I am 80% hopeful that the party that I have voted for would live up to all the promises that they have made”
In a conversation with Siddhi Patil from the National School of Journalism Mrs. S.V Padma said “I feel that this is my city and it is my responsibility to choose the correct leaders and I believe that Tejasvi Surya is like our son and he would make us proud.”
Despite the voter turnout being lower than what we had anticipated, people across different cultural backgrounds and age groups understood the importance of their vote and were seen casting their vote in the hope of a better tomorrow.
