Allegations to prevent MLA to vote

Bhopal, Mar 26: Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA Premchand Guddu on Wednesday alleged that the state's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was stooping to mean tactics to prevent him from casting his vote in Rajya Sabha elections to three seats from this state. In a statement issued here, Guddu said, “The BJP is adopting these tactics to ensure that all three of its candidates emerge victorious.”

Voting is to take place on March 28, but the State Bureau of Investigation for Economic Offences has issued a notice under the Criminal Procedure Code's Section 160 to the legislator who represents Ratlam district's Aalot to appear as witness in its local office on that very day in a certain case. Guddu stated that there are provisions under Section 160, that statements can be recorded at residence also. The MLA wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI), Governor and the Returning Officer urging their intervention for ensuring that polls be impartial and also demanding action against Bureau officials.

“During the Assembly's budget session, I was summoned on February 29 the date on which my farmers-related call attention notice was scheduled,” Guddu said. A breach of privilege notice was served to the Bureau's Superintendent of Police in this regard. Samajwadi Party legislator Kishor Samrite was served a legal notice on March 24 by the state's former advocate-general Vivek Krishna Tankha, who is also a Congress-supported independent candidate for the Upper House, after the MLA alleged that he was paid a bribe of Rs 10 lakh to vote for Tankha. Samrite wrote to the ECI today urging an inquiry into the SP whip, in the elections' context, cancellation of Tankha's candidature and registering of a criminal case against him.

There are four candidates for three seats. They include Mr Prabhat Jha, Ms Maya Singh and Raghunandan Sharma (all BJP) and Vivek Krishna Tankha (Congress-supported independent). Altogether 227 elected legislators from Madhya Pradesh will cast their votes on March 28 in the biennial elections to fill up three Rajya Sabha seats from the state. State Bureau of Investigation for Economic Offences had registered a criminal case against Guddu, former chief minister Digvijay Singh, and former ministers Sajjan Singh Verma, Rakesh Chaudhary, Indrajit Patel and Satyanarayan Patel in connection with alleged illegal colony in Bakhtawar-Ram Nagar of Indore. Guddu told that such a notice was issued against him on the directives of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and termed this as a political gundaism. “We would give a befitting reply to this act at appropriate time,” he added.