Gave correct poll expenses in 2009: Ex-Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan tells HC

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on Monday told the Delhi High Court that he had filed all correct poll expenses relating to 2009 assembly elections. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal and Rajiv Nayar, who appeared for Chavan, contended before the court that that his client had filed all the correct poll expenses and had incurred an expenditure of Rs 6.85 lakh in the 2009 assembly elections.

Sibal further argued that the ex-CM did not know who had issued the advertisements.Chavan had won the 2009 assembly election from Bhokar in Maharashtra's Nanded Lok Sabha constituency. He won the recent Lok Sabha polls from Nanded. During the hearing, Nayar said even the publishers of the advertisements had stated on affidavit before EC that Chavan had no knowledge about it.

It was also contended that "despite all this, EC issued the show cause notice and also gave its findings." He said the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC)'s the then General Secretary had in his affidavit clearly stated that it was individually done by him and no one has instructed him to make some advertisement. "It was not done on my instruction. I along with Congress President Sonia Gandhi, besides seven others were projected as the star campaigner for the 2009 assembly election. 

"MPCC's the then General Secretary had also said that his tenure as MLC was expiring so he issued those advertisement to promote himself," the counsel argued, adding the MPCC officer bearer had done on his personal capacity. The Election Commission had in its July 13, 2014 order given Chavan, an MP from Nanded parliamentary seat, a 20-day deadline to respond to the show cause notice which was issued after the poll panel had found him guilty of failing to "lodge his account of election expenses in the manner required by the (Representation of the People) Act and Rules." But the High Court had on July 28 stayed the Commission's show cause notice to Chavan.