RS polls: BJP questions EC's Jharkhand recommendation to Prez

Questioning the Election Commission's recommendation to the President to countermand Rajya Sabha polls in Jharkhand, the BJP on Saturday said it should not work under pressure from the Congress.

"EC is overactive this time. Where was it on previous occasions when there was horse-trading by independents to get into the upper house?" BJP's Jharkhand affairs in-charge, Harendra Pratap Singh told reporters here.

He said "Yesterday the BJP, JMM, AJSU, JDU voted for JMM's candidate Sanjeev Kumar, which prevented horse trading. After such a situation how far is EC's recommendation rescinding the polling justified."

Singh said "the EC should not work under pressure from the Congress and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantric).

He alleged that it was the Congress and JVM-P which had introduced 'money culture' in the state since 2002.

"The ECI should probe all previous RS elections. If it finds any proof of horse trading against any political party, let its symbol be scrapped," he said.

After dilly-dallying for days in the run up to the RS polling, the BJP took a last minute decision to vote for the JMM candidate.