MADHYA PRADESH Congress Committee (MPCC) president Subhash Yadav today urged the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to disqualify Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan from contesting the Budhni by-election for “breaking all the norms of the civilised, democratic society”.
In a memorandum sent to the Chief Election Commissioner B B Tandon, the State Congress chief said that the Commission took cognizance of the malpractices being adopted by officers to favour the Chief Minister and ordered removal of five officers including the Sehore Collector and the SP. This, he claimed, clearly proved that the Chief Minister used the officers and official machinery to influence the campaigning in Budhni in his favour.
In the memorandum, the Congress has also demanded cancellation of the by-election and declaration of fresh date for polling. Besides, it also demanded registration of a case against the Chief Minister under Representation of Peoples Act for misuse of official machinery.
Meanwhile, PCC spokesman and general secretary Manak Agrawal has demanded removal of Chief Secretary Rakesh Sahni ‘to ensure free and fair election in Budhni’.
In a memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer, Agrawal said while rest of the rural Madhya Pradesh faced seven hours power cut, Budhni constituency was provided power up to 23 out of 24 hours at the instance of the Chief Secretary who is also Madhya Pradesh State Electricity Board Chairman.
{{/usCountry}}In a memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer, Agrawal said while rest of the rural Madhya Pradesh faced seven hours power cut, Budhni constituency was provided power up to 23 out of 24 hours at the instance of the Chief Secretary who is also Madhya Pradesh State Electricity Board Chairman.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier Sahni was Principal Secretary in the Energy Department. In the memorandum the Congress demanded that the cost of additional power provided to Budhni in the last three months be added in the election expenditure of the BJP candidate Shivraj Singh Chouhan.