INDIA
While Rajya Sabha elections have been countermanded in the past, this is the first time that such a step has been taken on account of vitiation of the election process because of money power.
In an uprecedented step, the Election Commission on Friday night countermanded the Rajya Sabha polls in Jharkhand in the wake of allegations of horse trading and seizure of over Rs 2 crore in cash, saying the election process there has been seriously vitiated.
"The Commission is satisfied that the current election process for Rajya Sabha election from Jharkhand has been seriously vitiated and cannot be permitted to proceed," the 3-member EC headed by Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi said in a 12-page order.
"Accordingly, the Commission hereby recommends under Article 324 of the Constitution read with Section 21 of the General Clauses Act, 1897, to the President that she may be pleased to rescind the notification of March 12 calling upon the elected members of Jharkhand Legislative Assembly to elect two members to the Council of States," it said.
While Rajya Sabha elections have been countermanded in the past, this is the first time that such a step has been taken on account of vitiation of the election process because of money power.
The Commission's decision came after a day-long meeting to inquire into the source of the huge cash seizures made by Income Tax authorities in Ranchi this morning.
The order came following complaints by several political parties to the EC over use of money power and horse trading in these polls.
As per a report from the Returning Officer of Jharkhand, the EC found that of 81 members of the state assembly (one seat being vacant), 79 cast their votes while three voters Vishnu Bhaiya (of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), KN Tripathi (of Indian National Congress) and Suresh Pashwan (of Rashtriya Janata Dal) showed their ballot papers to persons other than their respective party agents, violating the prescribed voting procedure, the EC said.
"This raises a strong suspicion that the votes of the above-mentioned three MLAs may have been influenced by the alleged horse trading about which strong apprehensions had been raised by Gurudas Das Gupta, Babu Lal Marandi and Sharad Yadav", it said.
The report of the Returning Officer was followed by another representation to the EC submitted by five Left parties in Jharkhand, namely, CPI, CPI(M), Forward Bloc, RSP and Marxist Coordination Committee, stating that huge money was being spent by some candidates to buy votes in the Rajya Sabha election and requesting the Commission to intervene immediately in the matter and stop the election process.
The EC action comes in the wake of cash seizure of Rs 2.15 crore from a vehicle belonging to the brother of one of the independent candidates RK Agarwal on the outskirts of Ranchi early this morning ahead of the RS poll.
Further enquiries by the EC in Jharkhand revealed that "prima facie, the source of the cash found in the vehicle is unexplained and is liable for seizure".
"The person carrying the cash Sudhanshu Tripathy stated that the cash was handed over to him by Soumitra Sah, son-in-law of RK Agarwal. The same was to be handed over to a person named Khandelwal, the owner of a Ford Ikon showroom at Ranchi and the vehicle under reference is in the name of Suresh Kumar Agarwal, brother of R.K. Agarwal and the the cash found appears to be without clear source and efforts are on to detect its real source," the EC said.
Veteran lawyer and BJP MP Ram Jethmalani said the EC, by countermanding the RS elections in Jharkhand, has "set up an excellent precedent" while his party colleague Yashwant Sinha said he was happy with the EC decision as Rajya Sabha polls have been a happy hunting ground for money bags.
CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said the election laws should be amended and state financing should be there for the general elections, for state elections. As for RS elections, there should be no secret voting. Voting should be open.
The report of Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer to the EC said the Income Tax authorites "received information from a reliable source late on the night of 29th March, 2012, that cash would be transported from Jamshedpur to Ranchi for distribution in connection with the election.
Therefore, with the help of the district police authorities, a picket was placed on Jamshedpur ?" Ranchi highway (NH-33) at Rampur Haat to check the movement of suspicious vehicles.”
At around 6.30 am today, an Innova Car bearing Jharkhand registration number was nabbed with a person named Sudhanshu Tripathy carrying unaccounted cash to the tune of Rs 2.15 crore for the purpose of distribution in connection with the election on behalf of R.K. Agarwal, an independent candidate in the election.
The cash was being carried by Tripathy who is an employee of Shah Sponge and Power Limited having its offices at Chaibasa and Jamshedpur.
The Jharkhand CEO’s report, on which the EC acted, also said that apart from the intercepted vehicle, there was information about two more vehicles carrying unaccounted cash following the Innova from Jamshedpur but they went back to Jamshedpur along with the alleged cash after noticing that the Innova had been intercepted by the authorites.
"The cash in the subsequent two vehicles was reportedly handed over at the residence of Prakash Khemani at Jamshedpur. A search action has been initiated at the residence of Khemani and surveys are being conducted at the office premises of Khemani and Shah Sponge and Power Limited at Jamshedpur with the authorization of search issued by the Commissioner of Income Tax, Jamshedpur," the EC said.
The Rajya Sabha election for the two seats in Jharkhand was necessitated on account of the expiry of term of Surendrajeet Singh Ahluwalia and Mabel Rebello who are due to retire on April 2.
For filling up the two vacancies, five candidates filed their nominations including Pravin Kumar Singh of Jharkhand Vikash Morcha, Pradip Kumar Balmuchu of Congress, Sanjiv Kumar of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and two independents Pawan Kumar Dhoot and Raj Kumar Agarwal.
Ahead of the polls, Gurudas Dasgupta, sent a representation to the EC, citing media reports "on strong and tangible apprehensions about horse trading" to garner votes of vulnerable MLAs.
A day later on March 27, Babu Lal Marandi, Member of Parliament and former chief minister of Jharkhand, called on the Commission with a delegation and presented a memorandum expressing similar concerns.
Marandi’s letter was followed by another from JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav who also spoke of the possibility of use of money power in the elections.
Taking note of these apprehensions, the Commission on March 27 instructed the Chief Secretary of Jharkhand and other authorities concerned to keep a strict watch on the situation and prevent any such incident.
IND vs NZ, 2nd Test Dream11 prediction: Fantasy cricket tips for India vs New Zealand match
How To Prepare For The UPSC CSE 2025 Exam?
'India supports dialogue and diplomacy, not war': PM Modi at BRICS Summit
This woman lost in Dubai's desert orders camel via Uber, netizens say 'your camel has arrived'
Good news for Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Paytm gets NPCI nod to..., shares surge over 7%
Fan requests Rohit Sharma to deliver her message to Virat Kohli, here's how Indian captain responded
Rajkummar Rao recalls being scammed in Delhi during struggle days: 'The man had...'
Robbers pose as customers in jewellery shop, what owner did next will leave you shocked
Maharashtra Elections 2024: NCP releases 1st list of 38 candidates; Ajit Pawar to contest from…
Japanese Shah Rukh Khan leaves Bollywood Badshah's fan impressed, social media says...
Will KL Rahul be retained by LSG ahead of IPL Auction? New report provides BIG update, it says...
'Wayanad will have two MPs': Rahul Gandhi after Priyanka files nomination for bypolls
I Want To Talk teaser: Abhishek Bachchan announces his next with Shoojit Sircar, to release on...
Diwali 2024: When is Deepawali, October 31 or November 1? Check dates, mahurat timings and more
JEE Main 2025 exam date to release TODAY: Know how to register, check exam calendar HERE
Jhalmuri fever hits London: Video of British man selling Kolkata-style street food goes viral, watch
SC slams Centre as Delhi air worsens, calls environment laws...
Ex-cricketer suggests replacing KL Rahul with THIS batsman for 2nd Test vs NZ, he is…
TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee smashes bottle, hurls it towards Chair in row over Waqf meet
Know how Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani's children Isha Ambani and Akash Ambani got their names
Family finds venomous snakes under their bed, what happened next will leave you in shock
This company's Vice President gets fired after raise and bonus, reason will leave you shocked
Mukesh Ambani-led Jio Financial eyes JVs with Allianz SE in insurance sector
IMD's BIG update: Cyclone Dana forms over Bay of Bengal, to cross Odisha-Bengal coasts on...
This company gifts cars as Diwali bonus, calls its employees celebrities, is owned by…
Amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan skips her family gathering
When Ratan Tata opened up about his parents separation, first love and childhood, he said...
Blow to Mukesh Ambani ahead of Isha Ambani, Akash Ambani's birthday, Reliance stocks...
Saudi Arabia's futuristic megacity project Neom a big threat to migratory birds? Experts say...
Apple CEO Tim Cook didn’t know about this iPhone feature, left speechless, know here
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio offers superhit Diwali plan, unlimited 5G internet for just Rs...
Bengaluru Rains: Schools closed, WFH advisory for private companies as IMD issues yellow alert
Israel confirms killing of Hashem Safieddine, presumed successor of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah
Big move by Anil Ambani, his company to invest Rs 10000 crore to set up India's largest...
Meet Indian genius, who was born in small town, today leads AI innovations of Google, she is...
Woman stays at luxury resort worth Rs 3 lakh for free, claims she used...
Delhi AQI update: Air quality worsens to 'very poor' level at 349, becomes 'severe' in these areas
PM Modi to hold bilateral talks with Xi Jinping at BRICS Summit today
Odisha, West Bengal brace for Cyclone Dana: How was it named and what it means?
POCSO case: Mumbai Police ask Ekta Kapoor, her mother to appear for questioning tomorrow
Watch: Can you identify all the actors in this clip from 1991?
Priyanka Gandhi to file nomination for Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll today
Meet woman, whose father used to sell milk, cracked UPSC exam with AIR 62 to become...
Delhi: No water supply in Capital for 12 hours on Friday due to…; check list of affected areas
Salman Khan resumes shooting for Sikandar amid death threats from Lawrence Bishnoi
India, Pakistan extend Kartarpur Sahib corridor agreement for five years
DNA TV Show: What is BRICS currency? Is it possible to introduce it today?
IPL 2025: Three-time IPL champion set to join Gujarat Titans as batting coach - Reports
PM Modi, Xi Jinping to hold bilateral meet on sidelines of BRICS Summit on Oct 23, first in 5 years
New Himalayan snake species named after Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio, it will be called…
Cyclone Dana: Schools closed in West Bengal, Odisha for 4 days from...
Delhi govt to provide special assistance of Rs 5000 monthly to...
Rape-accused Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein diagnosed with bone marrow cancer
IND vs NZ: Sarfaraz Khan or KL Rahul; Who will find a spot in 2nd Test? India coach says…
Mumbai Police interrogates Ekta Kapoor, her mother Shobha Kapoor in case under POCSO act
Mukesh Ambani may team up with govt to sell food products through...
Bengaluru: Several feared trapped as under-construction building collapses
Best Cheap VPS Hosting Providers: Top Picks for Hosting Under USD 10
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal set to raise Rs 8500 crore, says it is meant to...