<p>Senior Congress leader and party's national treasurer Ahmed Patel on Monday was grilled for over four hours in the trial of election petition moved by BJP leader Balwansinh Rajput challenging Patel's 2017 Rajya Sabha victory. Patel was asked dozens of questions that included his role in taking party's 44 MLA to a resort in Bengaluru.<br /><br />Replying a question on whether he knew D K Shivakumar, a minister in Karnataka government, Patel said that he knows Shivakumar very well who is a minister. However, Patel denied that he had knowledge that the resort, Eagelton- where party's 44 MLAs had stayed in order to prevent BJP from poaching them during the polls, belonged to Shivakumar. Patel also claimed that he didn't know any other leader from Karnataka.<br /><br />Monday's cross-examination of Patel lasted for over four hours in which Rajput's lawyer Satyapal Jain asked variety of questions ranging from party meetings, issuance of whip to vote for Patel, taking away 44 party MLA to Bengaluru and then a resort in Anand district, about an hour drive from Ahmedabad.<br /><br />Patel denied that he himself bore the expenses of resorts where the MLAs stayed. He said that it was his party which took care of the expenses. When he was asked that he pressurised his party's MLAs to gain their votes in his favour, Patel responded, "It was the BJP which did it. It was because of BJP that six MLAs resigned and there were eight cross-voting during the Rajya Sabha polls."<br /><br />The cross-examination of Patel will be continued on Tuesday when apart from Jain, Patel's lawyers are also going to ask few questions related to the 2017 polls.<br /><br />Rajput, in his petition, has leveled several allegations against Patel that includes, "being guilty of committing corrupt practice of bribery," "entertaining voters at different places including at Bangalore & Anand for purpose of securing their votes in election in dispute," "votes of Bholabhai Gohil and Raghavji Patel (Congress rebels) were illegally rejected by returning officer," "votes cast by Shailesh Parmar and Mitesh Garasiya (Congress MLAs) illegally accepted as legal votes," among others. </p>
<p>Senior Congress leader and party's national treasurer Ahmed Patel on Monday was grilled for over four hours in the trial of election petition moved by BJP leader Balwansinh Rajput challenging Patel's 2017 Rajya Sabha victory. Patel was asked dozens of questions that included his role in taking party's 44 MLA to a resort in Bengaluru.<br /><br />Replying a question on whether he knew D K Shivakumar, a minister in Karnataka government, Patel said that he knows Shivakumar very well who is a minister. However, Patel denied that he had knowledge that the resort, Eagelton- where party's 44 MLAs had stayed in order to prevent BJP from poaching them during the polls, belonged to Shivakumar. Patel also claimed that he didn't know any other leader from Karnataka.<br /><br />Monday's cross-examination of Patel lasted for over four hours in which Rajput's lawyer Satyapal Jain asked variety of questions ranging from party meetings, issuance of whip to vote for Patel, taking away 44 party MLA to Bengaluru and then a resort in Anand district, about an hour drive from Ahmedabad.<br /><br />Patel denied that he himself bore the expenses of resorts where the MLAs stayed. He said that it was his party which took care of the expenses. When he was asked that he pressurised his party's MLAs to gain their votes in his favour, Patel responded, "It was the BJP which did it. It was because of BJP that six MLAs resigned and there were eight cross-voting during the Rajya Sabha polls."<br /><br />The cross-examination of Patel will be continued on Tuesday when apart from Jain, Patel's lawyers are also going to ask few questions related to the 2017 polls.<br /><br />Rajput, in his petition, has leveled several allegations against Patel that includes, "being guilty of committing corrupt practice of bribery," "entertaining voters at different places including at Bangalore & Anand for purpose of securing their votes in election in dispute," "votes of Bholabhai Gohil and Raghavji Patel (Congress rebels) were illegally rejected by returning officer," "votes cast by Shailesh Parmar and Mitesh Garasiya (Congress MLAs) illegally accepted as legal votes," among others. </p>
