Guj HC issues notices to EC; RS poll winners

Gujarat High Court on Monday issued notices to winners of the recently concluded Rajya Sabha polls –Ahmed Patel, Amit Shah and Smriti Irani- besides the election Commission.

The notices come in response to the case filed by BJP’s losing candidate in the elections Balwantsinh Rajput. The court has fixed September 1 to hear the case.

In his plea filed Friday last,  Rajput sought cancellation of Patel’s election to the Upper House and also his own disqualification from contesting RS polls for six years.

The former Congress whip in Gujarat Assembly, who contested the RS polls after quitting the party and his MLA seat, said in his plea that the EC order cancelling two votes in his favour was against the rules.

He also said the herding of Congress legislators to Bengaluru and the money spent in the process tantamount to corruption. Rajput also raised serious questions over the EC’s authority in cancelling the returning officer’s orders and raised doubts over his final decision.

Patel, who secured 44 votes, was declared the winner along with Shah and Irani, who got 46 votes each. Rajput lost the nail biter by securing just 38 votes.