Sacked BSF jawan moves court against Modi's election

Sacked BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav, whose nomination papers as the Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency had been rejected, has challenged the BJP leader's election in the Allahabad High Court.

According to sources, Yadav filed a petition with the Registrar General of the High Court on Sunday seeking quashing of Modi's election from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat.

Yadav has contended in his petition that his nomination papers were rejected by the returning officer under "pressure" from Modi and without "following the rules".

He further contended that the rejection of his nomination papers "deprived" him of his right to contest the polls. Yadav contended in his petition that fresh election should be held on the Varanasi seat.

The nomination papers of Yadav, who had been sacked from the BSF after a video in which he showed the poor quality of food served to the jawans went viral on the social networking sites, were rejected as the mandatory certificate from the Election Commission (EC) stating that Yadav had not been dismissed from service on grounds of "disloyalty to nation" or "corruption" was not submitted with them.

While the officials said that it was mandatory, Yadav alleged foul play and said that the district magistrate was "under tremendous pressure" from the BJP.

He had later approached the Supreme Court, which had asked him to go to the Election Commission. The EC had rejected his contention.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav had also claimed that the district poll officials had rejected the nomination papers under pressure from the BJP.

Yadav has formed an NGO 'Fauji Ekta Kalyan Manch'. Many former jawans of Army and paramilitary forces were members of the NGO, he claimed.