A delegation of Congress leaders from Chhattisgarh met Election Commission officials on Friday and sought the watchdog’s intervention to declare the Antagarh by-poll result null and void following allegations of fixing of the bypoll there in 2014. The Congress leaders also sought an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the allegations that its candidate was induced with money to withdraw from the fray.
“The incident comes under the ambit of corrupt practice as defined by the electoral laws. The money that changed hand also comes under various sections of IPC and Prevention of Money laundering Act. Therefore, you are requested to order a CBI probe into the allegations and declare the results of the by-poll null and void,” the Congress memorandum submitted to the EC said.
The Chhattisgarh State Congress has expelled its sitting MlA Amit Jogi. This, after the media reported about an audio tape containing purported conversations between senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Ajit Jogi, his son Amit, his associates and Puneet Gupta, son-in-law of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, to allegedly fix the 2014 byelection on Antagarh (ST) seat.
On December 30, the EC had directed the Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh to urgently institute an inquiry into the tape episode and submit a factual report latest by January 7 along with his comments.
The Chhattisgarh Government had on Thursday submitted its report to the EC saying the State Government is probing the allegations.