Prakash Jha accused of buying voters

 
The West Champaran police are all set to file a chargesheet against the producer-turned-politician in a case in which he was accused of influencing voters by using money power.

Jha was a RJD-backed LJP nominee from West Champaran during the Lok Sabha election. However, a couple of days before the polling, the police raided his election office and recovered Rs 10.25 lakh. The then Sadar SDO Rajiv Verma filed an FIR against Jha for violating the model code of conduct. Besides, 38 persons, who were then present at Jha’s office, were also arrested.

Jha, who was pitted against RJD’s Sadhu Yadav in the high profile constituency, later denied the charge against him. But the police, after thorough investigation, found them to be true. “It’s true that I have directed the officer concerned to file a chargesheet against Prakash Jha and others on the basis of a police inquiry report, which found allegations against him to be true,” said West Champaran SP KS Anupam.

One of his close aides told Deccan Herald on Thursday that the money, which was recovered from the guest house on April 18, was meant for paying salaries to the employees of a sugar mill which Jha had set up at his native place in West Champaran.