Ranchi, Jun 10 (PTI): The Congress on Wednesday staged a protest here, demanding cancellation of the nomination of Parimal Nathwani, a BJP-backed Independent nominee for the Rajya Sabha polls in Jharkhand.
The Congress, a constituent of the state’s ruling JMM-led coalition, accused Nathwani of providing false and incomplete information in the affidavit attached to his nomination papers.
The party which held a sit-in on the Jharkhand Assembly premises also charged the BJP-backed candidate of submitting a fresh affidavit, “which is illegal”.
Nathwani, an industrialist and an MP of the Upper House of Parliament from Andhra Pradesh, on Monday filed his nomination papers as the third Rajya Sabha candidate in Jharkhand where polls will be held for two seats.
JMM candidate Baidyanath Ram and Congress nominee Pranav Jha earlier filed their nominations and their papers were found valid during scrutiny on Tuesday. Nathwani submitted his papers, though the BJP-led NDA does not have the numbers in the assembly to make him a winner, unless there is cross-voting.
The BJP claimed that the Congress’s protest shows they have lost faith in the democratic process and the Constitution.
The returning officer on June 9 put his nomination on hold and gave him a deadline of 11 am on Wednesday to resolve the objections.
However, the returning officer’s office has not said anything on this till 5.30 pm.
“We demand an impartial investigation and necessary action over the discrepancies and incomplete information in the nomination papers of the BJP-backed Independent candidate Parimal Nathwani,” said state Congress chief Keshav Mahto Kamlesh.
“We have flagged multiple discrepancies in his nomination papers. Despite this, the Election Commission is giving him extra time to furnish clarifications,” he said.
Kamlesh further said that the proposer of the Congress candidate has brought the matter to the notice of the returning officer and demanded the cancellation of Nathwani’s nomination. However, no decision has been taken on this yet, he said.
Meanwhile, former Union minister and Supreme Court advocate Salman Khurshid said he came here to present facts before the returning officer about the discrepancies raised by the Congress regarding Parimal Nathwani’s candidature.
“However, I was not allowed to participate. The officials said they had heard the matter and closed it. However, my colleague Surendra Chouhan strongly presented our case,” Khurshid said.
Surendra Chouhan asserted that multiple discrepancies were found in Nathwani’s affidavit that he had attached to his nomination papers.
“We raised objections before the Returning Officer. Thereafter, the Returning Officer put his nomination on hold, gave Nathwani a letter asking him to reply to the objections raised by the Congress candidate,” he said.
“The BJP-backed candidate then filed a fresh affidavit, which is illegal as officials cannot accept any new documents during the scrutiny. The format of the new affidavit is also completely different, which is illegal. We are hoping for the cancellation of his candidature,” Chouhan told reporters.
Senior Congress leader Rajesh Thakur said that the nomination of one of our leaders in Madhya Pradesh was cancelled within 15 minutes without any clarification.
“But here, despite highlighting four discrepancies in Nathwani’s nomination papers, the poll panel’s officials have only put it on hold. it seems that the EC is functioning as a subordinate unit of the BJP,” said Thakur, a former state Congress president.
State minister Dipika Pandey Singh of the Congress alleged that every possible manipulation is being resorted to in order to send a close aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Rajya Sabha through the back door.
Taking a jibe at the BJP in an X post, she said, “Today, a strong protest was registered outside the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly against this planned assault on democracy, the Constitution, and political decorum. This fight to protect the rights of the people and the dignity of democracy will continue.”
Hitting back at the Congress for the protest, Jharkhand BJP chief Aditya Sahu said the Congress is creating hindrances in the functioning of the Election Commission officials who are looking into the matter.
“The Assembly Speaker should immediately order registration of an FIR against the leaders and workers of the Congress. The protest is neither acceptable nor justifiable in any way. This shows that they have accepted moral defeat in the Rajya Sabha poll,” Sahu said.
A close aide of Nathwani claimed the objections that had been raised were resolved.
The last date for withdrawal of nomination is June 11, while the polling will be held on June 18.
To ensure victory, a candidate is required to secure a minimum of 28 first-preference votes.
In the Jharkhand Assembly, the INDIA bloc has 56 members, comprising 34 from the JMM, 16 from the Congress, four from the RJD and two from CPI (ML) Liberation.
The NDA has 24 MLAs — 21 from the BJP and one each from the LJP (Ram Vilas), AJSU Party and the JD(U). Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha has one MLA.
