Himachal Rajya Sabha Poll: Cong Says EC Has Not Acted on Its Complaint Against BJP Leaders

The Himachal Pradesh Congress on Wednesday claimed that the Election Commission did not take cognisance of its complaint against BJP leaders for forcefully entering the Rajya Sabha election venue and misbehaving with the polling agent of its candidate.

Addressing the media in Shimla, senior Congress leader and Revenue and Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi said the leader of the opposition Jai Ram Thakur, along with BJP legislators, entered the polling booth and misbehaved with the polling agent and termed their action illegal and criminal.

“A written complaint was sent to the Election Commission immediately but the commission neither took cognisance of it nor initiated any action on it,” he said. Negi alleged that Himachal Pradesh BJP chief Rajiv Bindal and other party leaders also tried to break the door of the polling station. “We complained to the chief electoral officer and the presiding officer after which police were called to stop them,” he asserted.

Nine MLAs — six Congress rebels and three independents — voted in favour of BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha election on February 27. Later all of them joined the BJP and the six rebels were given BJP ticket from their respective assembly constituencies. Negi said that it is now clear that the BJP hatched a conspiracy and resorted to illegal and unconstitutional ways using money and pressure tactics to topple the elected Congress government in the state but failed.

Referring to the resignation submitted by three independent legislators — Hoshiyar Singh from Dehra, Ashish Sharma from Hamirpur and K L Thakur from Nalagarh — he said, “We have given a complaint to the Vidhan Sabha Speaker that these legislators who were virtually in BJP custody for a month had resigned under pressure.” Why did Jai Ram Thakur accompany the Independents when they went to submit their resignations, he asked. He alleged that the BJP leaders were also pressuring the governor to ensure the Speaker accepts the resignation of the three Independent legislators.

The people of the state would not forgive the BJP and would give them a befitting reply in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and assembly bypolls, Negi added.