MLC polls: Ballari GP members claim BJP tried to bribe them with saris and silver coins

Ballari: A video of some Congress supporting gram panchayat members returning saris and silver coins to the gram panchayat president’s husband has gone viral with an accompanying claim that the gifts were given to them by the BJP.
The Congress supporting gram panchayat members returned the gifts on Friday after the MLC election voting was over.
The BJP district president of Ballari said he was unaware of the video circulating on social media.He denied that any party leader had given gifts to anyone in the run-up to the MLC polls.
The BJP’s MLC candidate from here is Yachareddy Satish. He was unavailable when TOI tried to contact him.
In the video, C Basavaraj, a gram panchayat member in Hampadevanahalli in Kampli taluk, is heard telling the gram panchayat president’s husband: “We are not foolish to sell our votes for saris and silver coins for the MLC elections. You couldn’t purchase us through gifts and we were never swayed by such lures.”
Basavaraj has claimed that the gifts --- a silver coin and a sari each --- were given to 11 gram panchayat members.
“We never expected any gift from the candidates and we are loyal to the Congress. The party is most important to us, not such gifts. BJP leaders should never underestimate Congress supporters,” Basavaraj was heard saying in the video.
Basavaraj and the 10 other gram panchayat members are loyalists of Congress candidate KC Kondaiah.
“BJP leaders have offered 11 sarees and 11 silver coins to cast votes for the BJP candidate in MLC polls. But we have returned these gifts to the BJP leaders,” confirmed N Mallikarjun, a Congress leader in the village.
Pavan Kumar Malpati, the returning officer for the MLC poll and Ballari deputy commissioner, was not available for comment.