MP: Plea in HC accuses Datia Cong MLA of concealing info about criminal case in election affidavit

Jabalpur, Sep 22 (PTI): A petition has been filed in the Madhya Pradesh High Court accusing Congress MLA Ghanshyam Singh — who won the bypoll for the Datia assembly seat — of concealing information about a criminal case in his election affidavit, and seeking to have his election declared void.

The petition, filed by BJP leader and advocate Deepak Belpatri, challenging the Congress MLA’s election, is expected to be heard next week.

In the recently-concluded bypoll for the Datia assembly seat, Singh defeated BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari by over 7,000 votes.

The petition filed by Belpatri states that while Singh has disclosed two criminal cases registered against him in his election affidavit under Datia Kotwali police station, he has omitted information about another criminal case registered in 1991.

The petitioner has sought annulment of Singh’s election based on this.

According to the petition, in 1991, a demonstration and road blockade took place in Datia to protest the assassination of erstwhile prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, and police filed an FIR against 22 individuals including Singh in the case.

The petitioner alleged that Singh did not mention the said criminal case in the election affidavit filed during the July bypoll.

The petition demanded that Congress MLA’s election be declared void due to concealment of criminal record information in the election affidavit.

Speaking to reporters in Datia, Ghanshyam Singh said the case referred to in the petition is approximately 35 years old.

He said he is not yet fully aware of the petition, nor has he been officially informed by police or the court.

He termed it a conspiracy by his opponents and said he will not be intimidated by such actions.

Voting for the bypolls in Datia concluded on July 30, with 71.44 per cent turnout.

In the 2023 assembly elections, then Congress candidate Rajendra Bharti defeated erstwhile state home minister Narottam Mishra by over 7,700 votes.

The bypoll for the seat was necessitated due to the termination of Bharti’s assembly membership.

In April this year, a Delhi court sentenced Bharti to three years’ imprisonment in a fraud case, necessitating termination of his assembly membership.

Congress fielded Ghanshyam Singh, who faced 19 other candidates, including Ashutosh Tiwari of the BJP and Damodar Singh Yadav of the Azad Samaj Party.

The BJP did not give a ticket to Narottam Mishra this time, sparking widespread protests from his supporters. PTI COR MAS ARB

(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)