Demand to ban astrological poll predictions

Former minister and Congress candidate from Mysore parliamentary constituency Adagur H Viswanath demanded a ban on the electronic media from broadcasting poll prediction by astrologers here on Tuesday.

Wondering how the cable networks were allowed to carry on an indirect propaganda despite a pre-poll ban on poll predictions, he asked the Election Commission why it was shutting its eyes to such TV broadcasts. He said his party representative K R Mohan Kumar had complained before the state’s Chief Electoral Officer, when he interacted with political parties here on Monday.

Referring to prediction put out by a cable network about him, Viswanath said an astrologer had predicted on the eve of last Assembly elections that former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would lose. On the other hand, Siddaramaiah won the election.

A confident Viswanath said the fight was between BJP and the Congress in Mysore and with increasing support by the people every day his chances of winning was increasing.

“The JD (S) has lost its secular outlook, when it joined hands with BJP to form a government in the State. The JD (S) leaders have given up their secular beliefs and principles,” he criticised.

Making a similar attack on the BJP, he said the harassment by its ancillaries like the RSS, Sangh Parivar and Srirama Sene and talk about the minorities had distanced the party from the minorities and those who believed in secularism.

“This harassment and lack of security for their lives is being observed by the people. After swearing in the name of Constitution at the time of filing nomination, they are violating it later,” the Congress leader said and claimed this would benefit the Congress. Rejecting the BJP charge that his 27-point manifesto ‘Ashaya’ was a copy of the BJP, Viswanath said the JNNURM was a national programme launched by the Congress-led Government at the Centre and the BJP Government had shown very little interest in the last ten months.

He questioned the BJP as what had happened to its Assembly poll promises like free power supply and rice at Rs 2 a kg.

The election authorities had done the change in the ballot order, placing him in No.1 position, as per EC regulations, he defended.