BJP rejects Congress charges over RS polls
Countering the Congress claim, the BJP on Tuesday asserted that the Returning Officer in the Gujarat Rajya Sabha election had all the powers to decide on the merits of Congress claims on the disputed votes of two MLAs.
"What is this? The Congress is saying the Returning Officer has no powers, observers have no powers. The Congress charges are baseless. We condemn it. Their house is breaking up. They are raking up the issues because they are staring at defeat," Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters after a second meeting of a BJP delegation with the Election Commission.
He was replying to Congress leader P. Chidambaram's contention that the Commission was the only constitutional authority to decide on complaints about disputed ballots and that the RO is only an officer. Under the constitution, the EC alone has the power of conduct and superintendence of the elections.
Prasad said the Congress was "quoting wrong precedents and creating confusion".
"We want the confusion to end. The election is over. We have full faith in the election commission. Counting should begin immediately," the Minister said.
Congress filed complaint of cross-voting with Returning Officer: Ahmed Patel
Ahmedabad, Aug 8
Congress leader Ahmed Patel, who contested the third Rajya Sabha seat in Gujarat, said on Tuesday that the party had filed a complaint with the Returning Officer soon after two rebel party MLAs allegedly showed their vote to BJP leaders, but alleged that "no action was taken."
"Immediately a complaint was filed. The Returning Officer did not take any action, so we moved the Election Commission," Patel told reporters.
The Congress later moved the Election Commission demanding cancellation of votes of its two MLAs - Bholabhai Gohil and Raghavjibhai Patel - who cross-voted in the Gujarat Rajya Sabha elections and allegedly showed the ballots to BJP leaders against the rules.
Patel expressed confidence about his victory. "Let counting take place. I am very much confident," he said.
BJP demands immediate counting of votes in Gujarat RS polls
A battery of senior union ministers on Tuesday approached the Election Commission demanding immediate counting of votes in the Rajya Sabha election in Gujarat and accused the Congress of trying to stall the process because it was staring at defeat.
Led by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the delegation told the commission that under Article 324 of the Constitution no authority can interfere with election process once the voting is completed and the ballots are put inside the box.
Briefing media after the meeting, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Power Minister Piyush Goyal said if any party has any complaint then only an election petition in courts is the course left for the agrieved.
Prasad said the Congress had no objection in the morning and did not ask for keeping aside the two impugned votes or asked them to be declared as tendered.
Congress has demanded the cancellation of votes of two of its MLAs complaining that they showed their ballots to the BJP leaders Amit Shah and Smriti Irani and another candidate against election rules.
When the returning officer and the two independent observers had no objection and completed the process, the Congress suddenly woke up in the evening because it was staring a defeat.
"We repeatedly told the Elelction Commission not to order a fishing enquiry on Congress demand. We told them clearly that once the ballets are cast and the box is closed you (Congress) can go to courts and move an election petition," Prasad said.
The two ministers said that the delegation demanded that the Elction Commission immediately order the counting process to be continued.
