EC asks Jharkhand to probe Rajya Sabha cash-for-vote sting

The Election Commission today directed the Jharkhand government to register a police case after a media sting showed some state legislators ready to sell their votes in the Rajya Sabha elections in June.

The Election Commission on Tuesday directed the Jharkhand government to register a police case after a media sting showed some state legislators ready to sell their votes in the Rajya Sabha elections in June.

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In a statement, the poll panel said what the sting operation, conducted by an investigative portal, showed amounted to an offence under sections 8 and 9 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

According to the sting operation by Cobra Post and telecast on CNN-IBN news channel on Monday, three Congress party legislators, two of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and one of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were ready to sell their votes for around Rs 1 crore each in the Rajya Sabha election held June 17.

The poll panel also said the offence is punishable with imprisonment for a term not less than six months and could extend to five years and a fine.

In the Rajya Sabha poll, Congress and JMM nominees Dheeraj Sahu and K D Singh had won by securing 28 and 32 votes respectively. The JMM nominee belongs to Chandigarh.