FIR lodged against Karnataka Dy CM for alleged MCC violation

The Karnataka police have registered a case against Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar for violating the model code during campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections. The case pertains to a video of the Congress leader where he allegedly told Bengaluru voters that he would provide them a supply of water from river Cauvery if they voted for his brother DK Suresh. DK Suresh is contesting from Bangalore Rural.The state Election Commissioner said that his speech violates the model code and a police case has been registered for "bribery and undue influence at elections".

An FIR is lodged by the FST of Bengaluru against Dy. Chief Minister DK Shivakumar for violation of MCC while addressing apartment owners in RR Nagara. The FIR No.78/2024 at RMC Yard PS is lodged u/s 171(B)(C)(E)(F) of IPC for bribery and undue influence at elections.

— Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka (@ceo_karnataka) April 20, 2024

In a video clip that surfaced on social media, DK Shivakumar was purportedly heard saying to the residents of a housing society in his brother's constituency that he had come for a "business deal" and if they voted for his brother he would ensure the supply of Cauvery river water to them. Residents of Bengaluru have been dealing with a severe water crisis for the last two months. Bengaluru needs 2,600-2,800 million litres of water daily, and the current supply is half of what's required. The result is a daily struggle for the city's residents. Karnataka Lok Sabha Polls are being held in two phases on April 26 and May 7 with the results for all seats to be declared on June 4.

(Dr Mysi Patil, State Correspondent)