Munish Sood
Mandi
BJP leader and former Lok Sabha candidate from Mandi, Aashray Sharma, on Thursday accused Congress District President Champa Thakur of alleged electoral irregularities and misuse of political influence in connection with the ongoing Zila Parishad elections in Mandi district.
Addressing the media, Sharma alleged that Champa Thakur, who is contesting the Zila Parishad election for the fifth time, had attempted to politically sideline a woman candidate contesting against her. He claimed that a complaint was earlier submitted before the SDM seeking cancellation of the rival candidate’s nomination.
According to Sharma, when the alleged attempt to get the nomination cancelled did not succeed, efforts were allegedly made to persuade the candidate to withdraw from the contest through monetary inducements. He further alleged that assurances of a government job were also offered in an attempt to secure withdrawal from the election race.
Sharma termed the alleged developments a “serious misuse of political influence” and said democratic institutions at the grassroots level should remain free from pressure and inducement politics.
The BJP leader also levelled allegations against Champa Thakur’s husband, claiming that despite being a government doctor, he was frequently seen participating in Congress activities and election campaigning.
“He appears to be more involved in political campaigning than government duties. Similar activities were witnessed during the Municipal Corporation elections as well,” Sharma alleged while speaking to mediapersons.
In a separate development, Sharma submitted a formal complaint to the Deputy Commissioner, Mandi, seeking an inquiry into alleged duplicate voter registrations linked to Champa Thakur.
In the complaint, Sharma alleged that two separate voter registrations exist in the name of Champa Thakur within Mandi district. One voter entry is stated to be registered in Dwahan under Mandi Sadar with EPIC number BLK0592386, while another entry allegedly exists in Palace Colony-II under Nagar Nigam Mandi bearing EPIC number RMC0055467.
Sharma stated that if the allegations are verified, the matter would amount to a violation of electoral norms and would also raise questions regarding the verification mechanism adopted by authorities responsible for maintaining electoral rolls.
He urged the district administration to conduct a fair and impartial inquiry into the matter and take appropriate legal action if any irregularities are found.
No response from Champa Thakur or the Congress party had been issued till the filing of this report.
