Patna, Bihar: JDU MLA Sudhanshu Shekhar says, “I am loyal towards my leader…I have given all the details in the FIR… I am under no pressure… I got a huge offer… I was offered a ministry and Rs. 5 crore… I received a call through the Internet. They wanted to meet me but I did not give them time…”
Tag: horse trading
-
BJP, Congress leaders rush to Goa, hold talks with smaller parties
Express News Service
BELAGAVI: As the countdown begins for the assembly results on Thursday, political parties in Goa are fiercely guarding their potential winning candidates from covetous poachers. With a hung assembly looking imminent, the Congress moved its candidates to a resort in Madgaon on Wednesday, while AAP herded its flock to an unknown “safe location”.
To avoid a repeat of 2017 — when a large group of Congress legislators defected to the BJP despite the party emerging as the single largest — the Congress has rushed a team headed by P Chidambaram, D K Shivakumar, Satish Jarkiholi, Dinesh Gundurao and Sunil Kedar to Goa to keep its flock together.
According to sources, the Congress is likely to herd its winning legislators to Rajasthan if there is a hung assembly, and the BJP falls short of a majority. However, KPCC Working President Satish Jarkiholi said the Congress will get a majority and form the government on its own.
On his arrival in Goa, Jarkiholi said the party sent a team of top leaders to Goa to work out strategies to help the Congress form the government in case of a hung assembly. Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Girish Chodankar said his party was in talks with AAP and MGP, and that AAP had made it clear it would not support the BJP under any circumstances.
“The BJP may resort to poaching of Congress MLAs only if it falls way short of a majority. It is confident of getting the support of five to six MLAs, mainly Independents and MGP. Although BJP calls MGP a natural ally, the MGP is yet to clarify its stand on a possible post-poll alliance,’’ said senior journalist Kishor Naik Gaonkar.
BJP’s election in-charge of Goa Devendra Fadnavis said the BJP would get a majority on its own but would include MLAs of other parties in the government any way. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant went a step further, claiming his party would get the numbers on its own and a meeting had been fixed at 4pm on Thursday at the party office in Panaji.
Despite the BJP leadership’s repeated claims that MGP would ally with it, MGP chief Sudhin Dhavalikar told a section of media on Wednesday that he would not support a Pramod Sawant-led BJP in Goa, as it had not only “bought” the MGP MLAs but also sacked him (Dhavalikar) from the cabinet in 2019 without reason.
Regional parties and potential Independent MLAs have kept both the BJP and Congress on tenterhooks in Goa and are waiting for the results before calling the shots.
-
RS poll horse-trading case: Suspended ADG Anurag Gupta gets relief as Jharkhand HC stays his arrest
By PTI
RANCHI: The Jharkhand High Court on Friday stayed till August 11 the arrest of suspended Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Anurag Gupta, the main accused in the alleged horse-trading of MLAs in the Rajya Sabha elections held in 2016.In a relief to Gupta, the court ordered not to arrest him till August 11, the next date of hearing in the case.
The order was given by a bench of Justice SK Dwivedi which also issued notice to the state government seeking its response in the matter.
The court, however, refused to halt the ongoing investigation against Gupta under Prevention of Corruption Act (PC Act) as per the petition in this case and has given the agency the liberty to continue with its probe.
The suspended ADG has been charged with indulging in horse-trading of legislators in favour of a BJP candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat from Jharkhand in 2016.
The then Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) president Babulal Marandi had lodged a complaitn with the Election Commissiuon in this regard.
An FIR was registered on March 29, 2018 on the instructions of the Election Commission on the basis of a CD in which bailable sections were imposed.
Gupta had filed a petition in the High Court challenging the addition of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PC Act) in the case.
During the hearing, senior Supreme Court advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing on behalf of Gupta, said that the state government has given petition to add PC Act in this case with the intention of harassing Gupta.
The Crime Research Laboratory (Forensic Lab) did not find the CD to be completely accurate and demanded the original device.
Following the High Court order in February 2021, the original device has been sent to a forensic lab for testing.
Even before the report came from there, the research officer has applied in the lower court and demanded the addition of PC Act, the lawyer argued.
He said the provisions of CrPC have not been properly followed in this case and Gupta can be arrested anytime if PC Act is added.
Therefore his arrest should be stopped.
This was contended by the Advocate General of the state government, Rajiv Ranjan who said sufficient evidence has been found against them in the investigation, on the basis of which the research officer has applied in the court to add PC Act.
After this, the High Court stayed the arrest of Gupta till the next date of hearing, directing the state government to file a detailed reply in four weeks.
-
Assam polls: Now, Bodoland People’s Front shifts its candidates abroad
Express News Service
GUWAHATI: Apprehending attempts of poaching by the ruling BJP, the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) has shifted 10 of its 11 candidates of the recently-concluded Assam elections overseas.This comes two days after the ten-party grand alliance of Opposition had flown out 20 candidates – 18 from the All India United Democratic Front and two from the Congress – to Rajasthan.
The only BPF candidate to remain in Assam is Minister Pramila Rani Brahma. She confirmed the development surrounding her party, which is a component of the Opposition alliance.
“Yes, they left yesterday (Saturday) but I have no idea which country exactly they are visiting. I could not contact them,” Brahma told this newspaper on Sunday.
Sources said the BPF candidates had left for Singapore. Sixteen Members of Council Legislative Assembly (MCLA) of the autonomous Bodoland Territorial Council, which administers four districts, accompanied them.
Asked if the candidates were moved out of the country to thwart attempts of poaching by the BJP, Brahma said, “We cannot rule out the possibility of horse-trading”.
She added that the MCLAs had plans to go on a foreign trip after the month-long hectic election campaign.
Sources in the Congress said the party would also shift its candidates outside the state.
“We have to be cautious. We are trying to protect our candidates from the BJP’s anti-democratic activities,” Congress MLA and leader of the Opposition, Debabrata Saikia told journalists.
Amidst the efforts by the Opposition parties to protect their candidates against possible poaching, BJP MLA Shiladitya Deb said horse-trading does also take place online these days.
“If someone is not happy over the selection of party candidates, he will run away even if confined to his home,” Deb, who was denied a ticket, said even as he asserted the BJP does not buy or sell MLAs.
“A BPF candidate had run away by opting out of the poll race. Who will you blame? The leaders of the Congress and the AIUDF are worried as they fear their MLAs might leave their parties for the lust of power,” Deb added.
-
Assam polls: Ajmal’s AIUDF packs off its candidates to Rajasthan to thwart possible horse-trading
Express News Service
GUWAHATI: To thwart possible horse-trading by the BJP, Assam’s minority-based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) on Friday sent all its candidates of the recently-concluded Assembly elections to Congress-ruled Rajasthan in a chartered plane.“All of us have just landed in Rajasthan. The Rajasthan Chief Minister (Ashok Gehlot) has made arrangements for our stay,” one of the AIUDF candidates said.
He said AIUDF chief, Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, had not accompanied the team. “He is in Mumbai,” the candidate said.
The results of the keenly-contested Assam elections will be declared on May 2.
ALSO READ | ‘No lockdown’: Assam all set to celebrate Bihu with Covid curbs
Speculations are rife the 20 AIUDF candidates could be taken further to Dubai from Rajasthan. AIUDF sources could not say when exactly they will return to Assam.
The AIUDF is a component of Assam’s 10-party and Congress-led grand alliance of Opposition. It was formed two months back to oust the BJP from power.
AIUDF sources said the candidates would visit Ajmer Sharif during their stay. They will be provided with separate mobile phones so that others cannot contact them, the sources said.
The AIUDF is not taking any chances given past experiences. In the last Manipur elections, the Congress had bagged 28 of the 60 seats and the BJP had won 22 but it managed to cobble up the numbers as some MLAs defected and form the government.