Hoshiar Singh claims funds disbursed illegally during code of conduct to influence voters
TNR News Network
Shimla:
The election of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s wife Kamlesh Thakur as MLA from Dehra is set to be challenged in the Himachal Pradesh High Court.
BJP candidate Hoshiar Singh, who lost the July 10 bypoll to Kamlesh Thakur by a margin of 9,399 votes, has prepared a petition alleging violation of the model code of conduct and misuse of government machinery.
Hoshiar Singh has accused the Congress-led government of influencing voters by disbursing funds during the code of conduct. According to him, 67 women’s groups received Rs 50,000 each from Kangra Central Cooperative Bank, while nearly 1,000 women in Dehra constituency were credited with three months’ allowance under the Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi Yojana. He claims these benefits were released deliberately to tilt the bypoll outcome.
Petition based on RTI documents
The BJP leader claimed that he had obtained “documentary evidence” through the Right to Information (RTI) Act after the government initially withheld details. He argued that had the information been provided earlier, he would have approached the Election Commission within the stipulated 45 days. “Since the facts were suppressed, I had no option but to move the High Court,” Hoshiar Singh said.
The controversy over alleged cash-for-votes has already echoed in the state Assembly, with BJP MLAs, including Sudhir Sharma, repeatedly raising the matter.
Hoshiar Singh has also written to Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, urging that Kamlesh Thakur be disqualified for six years. With the petition expected to be filed in the coming days, the case is set to put the Sukhu government on the defensive, while the spotlight shifts to the High Court’s next move.
