The Gujarat High Court on Thursday directed returning officer for the controversial Dholka assembly constituency, Dhaval Jani, to be present before it on July 23. The direction came in response to a petition filed by Congress leader Ashwin Rathod against the controversial poll victory of education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama from the constituency.
The Gujarat High Court on Thursday directed returning officer for the controversial Dholka assembly constituency, Dhaval Jani, to be present before it on July 23. The direction came in response to a petition filed by Congress leader Ashwin Rathod against the controversial poll victory of education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama from the constituency.
Jani has been asked to remain present after Rathod, who had levelled allegations against the former for facilitating Chudasama's win, demanded to cross-examine Jani in the case. Although it was opposed by Jani's lawyer, the court allowed the same, remarking that the returning officer's cross-examination was important.
Meanwhile, the counsel for Jani on Thursday cross-examined Rathod. When asked whether he had submitted any written application for recounting, Rathod said he had given two applications for recounting of votes, which was accepted after a lot of persuasion.
Chudasama won the election by a wafer-thin margin of 327 votes and that too, after the returning officer mysteriously rejected 429 votes through postal ballots, a number greater than the winning margin. It is Rathod's contention that the rejection of 429 votes received through postal ballots by the returning officer was illegal and resulted in Chudasama winning the election.
He has also alleged that the deputy collector of Dholka at the time, Gaurang Prajapati, who was supposed to be the returning officer, was removed after the election code of conduct was implemented. In his stead, Jani was posted at Dholka to increase Chudasama's prospects of winning. Another charge by Rathod is that although the standing instruction of the Election Commission is that postal ballots are to be counted before counting of votes on EVMs, the same was not followed.
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 "Ashwin Rathod, Dhaval Jani")
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