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Punjab polls: FIR against BJP nominee for ‘influencing’ voters
BJP nominee from Garhshankar was booked for allegedly trying to influence voters with liquor, money and other freebies ahead of elections in Punjab
The Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Garhshankar assembly segment in Hoshiarpur district has been booked for allegedly trying to influence voters with liquor, money and other freebies after an audio clip of her purported telephonic conversation was shared with police, a day ahead of the elections in Punjab.
While police claim they are still verifying the authenticity of the audio clip, BJP candidate Nimisha Mehta has dismissed the allegations, calling the clip fake and a “ploy by her opponents to damage her reputation as they were intimidated by her popularity”.
Sub-inspector Rakesh Kumar, who is the complainant in the FIR, has stated that he received the audio clip on his mobile phone from an informer. Deputy commissioner Apneet Riyat, who is the district electoral officer, said that when the matter came to her notice, she forwarded it to the senior superintendent of police to take necessary action.
In the audio, a woman can he heard asking an acquaintance, who she calls “Mama Ji”, to distribute liquor and money to win over voters. When the man refuses to indulge in malpractices, the woman insists that he collects liquor chits from her, and also give something to the woman voters.
A case has been registered against Mehta and the unidentified man under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Representation of the People Act. Deputy superintendent of police, Garhshankar, Narinder Singh said that the veracity of the recording is being verified.
Five booked in Sultanpur Lodhi
In Kapurthala district, which like Hoshiarpur is also situated in Punjab’s Doaba region, police on Saturday booked five people for distributing money to woo voters in the Sultanpur Lodhi assembly segment.
Police have also arrested one of the suspects, identified as Bhupinder Singh, and seized ₹61,000 from him. The remaining four are absconding. All are locals, and were allegedly acting at the behest of an independent candidate in fray from Sultanpur Lodhi.
The FIR was registered on the complaint of Neeta, a resident of Lodhi Bhulana village, who alleged the men came to his house on Saturday morning and offered ₹1,500 per vote in favour of the candidate.
