Yediyurappa summoned by Karnataka court for allegedly violating poll code

Karnataka Chief Minister B.S Yediyurappa was summoned by a court in Gokak for allegedly violating Model Code of Conduct during a campaign for the 2019 Assembly by-polls.

The Judicial Magistrate First Class court observed that he appealed to a specific caste and community seeking votes for the Gokak constituency candidate.

“The accused on two occasions in his speech appeals to a specific community but not to the workers of the party attributing the caste and community for seeking votes in favour of the candidate of the Gokak constituency,” the court said.

During the campaign for assembly by-polls in 2019, on November 23, Yediyurappa while addressing a rally in Gokak had appealed to the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community to not split their votes and to back BJP candidate Ramesh Jarkiholi.

Gokak is a constituency having a large dominance of Veerashaiva-Lingayat community. Irked by this open appeal based on caste, Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) protested against his remarks, saying his appeal based on caste and community was a direct violation Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct. They had also lodged cases in this regard.

Gokak constituency votes were crucial for BJP government’s survival as Ramesh Lakshman Jarkiholi, BJP’s Gokak candidate managed to defeat his younger brother Lakhan Jarkiholi of Congress by a margin of more than 29,000 votes.

There is no reaction yet from the chief minister or his office in this regard.