Rajya Sabha polls 2022: BJP delegation meets EC, asks to declare elections null and void in Maharashtra and Haryana

As the voting for Rajya Sabha polls ended today, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to declare RS elections in Maharashtra and Haryana on the basis of broken rules of secrecy in voting.

Union Minister Mukhtar Aabbas Naqvi said a delegatin of the BJP met the EC for declaring the elections in the two states null and void.

"Our party has submitted complaints in specific states as well," Naqvi added.

"A delegation of BJP met with ECI today regarding RS elections in Maharashtra and Haryana. Our party has submitted complaints in specific states as well. We have asked that this election be declared null & void on basis of broken rules of secrecy in voting," Naqvi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The counting for Rajya Sabha elections in Maharashtra has also been delayed due to the objections raised by the BJP. The party raised objections to the votes cast by three MLAs of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), alleging violation of rules.

"Cabinet ministers Jitendra Awhad, Yashomati Thakur and Sena legislator Suhas Kande violated the model code for voting. We have made an appeal before the Election Commission of India, seeking that their votes be held invalid," said a state BJP leader.

BJP alleged that Awhad and Thakur handed over their ballots to their party agents instead of only showing them the ballots, while Kande showed his ballot to two different agents.

On the other hand in Haryana, counting of votes for the two seats was put on hold after the BJP and the Independent candidate backed by it urged the EC to cancel the votes of two Congress MLAs.

BJP nominee Krishan Lal Panwar and Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma shot off a missive to the EC, alleging Congress MLAs Kiran Choudhary and B B Batra showed their ballot papers to unauthorised persons after marking them and that the episodes were "duly captured" by the camera installed for the purpose of election.

Published on: Friday, June 10, 2022, 07:34 PM IST