<p align="justify">Gujarat High Court on Monday issued notices to Election Commission and winning candidates in recently concluded Rajya Sabha polls from the state in a case filed by Balwantsinh Rajput seeking cancellation of the poll.</p>.<p align="justify">Other than the election panel, the High Court issued notices to Ahmed Patel, Amit Shah and Smriti Irani and has kept the hearing date in the case for September 1, 2017.<br /><br />The High Court was hearing the plea filed by Rajput, one of the three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates, on Friday last seeking cancellation of Congress leader Ahmed Patel’s election as well as his disqualification from fighting RS polls for six years.<br /><br />Rajput, who lost out in the race to Upper House to Congress candidate, in a plea before Gujarat High Court had stated that the Election Commission order cancelling two votes by considering them as invalid was not as per rules and sought cancellation of this order.</p>.<p align="justify">Ahmed Patel, who bagged 44 votes, along with BJP National president Amit Shah with 46 votes and Union minister Smriti Irani with 46 votes were declared as three winners from the state.<br /><br />Rajput, who was chief whip of the Congress in Gujarat Assembly, quit the party and contest RS polls on a BJP ticket. He received 38 votes. The Rajput in his contention had also claimed that the way 44 Congress legislators were flown to Bengaluru and monies spent on the entire incident amounted to corrupt practice. He, therefore, plead that Patel’s election be nullified. Rajput also questioned the authority of EC to cancel votes and questioning the final decision of returning officer.</p>
<p align="justify">Gujarat High Court on Monday issued notices to Election Commission and winning candidates in recently concluded Rajya Sabha polls from the state in a case filed by Balwantsinh Rajput seeking cancellation of the poll.</p>.<p align="justify">Other than the election panel, the High Court issued notices to Ahmed Patel, Amit Shah and Smriti Irani and has kept the hearing date in the case for September 1, 2017.<br /><br />The High Court was hearing the plea filed by Rajput, one of the three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates, on Friday last seeking cancellation of Congress leader Ahmed Patel’s election as well as his disqualification from fighting RS polls for six years.<br /><br />Rajput, who lost out in the race to Upper House to Congress candidate, in a plea before Gujarat High Court had stated that the Election Commission order cancelling two votes by considering them as invalid was not as per rules and sought cancellation of this order.</p>.<p align="justify">Ahmed Patel, who bagged 44 votes, along with BJP National president Amit Shah with 46 votes and Union minister Smriti Irani with 46 votes were declared as three winners from the state.<br /><br />Rajput, who was chief whip of the Congress in Gujarat Assembly, quit the party and contest RS polls on a BJP ticket. He received 38 votes. The Rajput in his contention had also claimed that the way 44 Congress legislators were flown to Bengaluru and monies spent on the entire incident amounted to corrupt practice. He, therefore, plead that Patel’s election be nullified. Rajput also questioned the authority of EC to cancel votes and questioning the final decision of returning officer.</p>
