Govind Singh Rajput, the minister in charge of transportation and revenue in Madhya Pradesh, has been charged with “violation of the mode code of conduct” that will be in effect for the state’s next legislative elections.
His dismissal has been sought by Congress due to his “open and blatant offer that he will pay 25 lakh” to the polling place where the majority of the state’s votes are cast in favor of the governing party.
The FIR states that the decision was made in response to the Returning Officer’s report for the Surkhi assembly seat. In Sagar district’s Rahatgarh police station, a charge was filed against the minister under IPC section 188 and section 123 of the Representation of the People Act.
Govind Singh Rajput is running for office in the district’s Surkhi assembly seat. In an allegedly leaked video of Minister Rajput, he is heard promising to provide 25 lakh to the polling place “which gets the most votes” for the BJP in the next elections.
Shobha Oza, a prominent party official and the former head of the Mahila Congress, called on the Election Commission to prevent Rajput from running in the polls, claiming that “he had openly resorted to corrupt practices by offering money to people” when speaking at a news conference at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi.
The Congressman said that the BJP realized it was losing the Madhya Pradesh election and as a consequence, took this action.
According to her, the state’s governing party has “now started resorting to such blatant inducements with huge cash.”
“He needs to be questioned and asked for the source of this huge amount of money that he was offering to his election booth in-charges,” she said.
Oza said that national general secretary of the BJP Kailash Vijayvargiya had promised 51,000 to “agents in the booths where the Congress does not get any vote” for the BJP.
Rajput is allegedly linked to Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, according to Oza.
“We demand the Governor (Mangubhai Patel) to dismiss Rajput and investigate the charges against him,” she said.
Elections for the Madhya Pradesh legislature will be held on November 17, and the results will be announced on December 3.
