Bangarappa seeks Yeddyurappa disqualification

Bangalore, Feb 15 (PTI) Former Karnataka Chief Minister SBangarappa has filed a petition before the Election Commissionof India praying to disqualify Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappafrom his State Assembly membership, alleging that the latterhas furnished "false" affidavit concerning his assets andliabilities.

Bangarappa, now in JDS, demanded action againstYeddyurappa in his petition submitted yesterday for offencespunishable under section 177 (furnishing false information)read with section 420 (Cheating) of the IPC for violating ECdirections.

Bangarappa also sent his petition to the Chief Electoralofficer of Karnataka and the Returning Officer of ShikaripuraAssembly constituency, where he lost to Yeddyurappa in the2008 Assembly elections. Bangarappa has demanded that he bedeclared the winner of the constituency after Yeddyurappa isdisqualified. Bangarappa finished third in the election.

In the affidavit furnished during the elections whilecontesting from the Shikaripura seat, Yeddyurappa hadsuppressed details of his assets, Bangarappa said at a pressconference here.

The details of assets Yeddyurappa filed before theLokayukta during 2007 and those in the affidavit before theReturning Officer of of Shikaripura constituency containeddiscrepancies, he alleged.

Yeddyurappa has not disclosed before the ReturningOfficer LIC policy for a sum assured Rs 1.70 lakh and rentaladvance amounting to Rs 33 lakh obtained from Adarsh Group,one of the property developers named in the land scam theChief Minister is embroiled in, Bangarappa said.

He added there was also a discrepancy in the disclosureof the quantity of silver articles owned by Yeddyurappa. TheBJP Chief Minister had declared ownership of 29 kgs of silverwhen the returns were filed before Lokayukta in December 2007,while it had been shown as 25 kgs in the affidavit submittedto the Returning Officer.

In the Lok Sabha elections held in 2009, Bangarappa wasdefeated by Yeddyurappa''s son B Y Raghavendra from the Shimogaseat.