BJP demands fresh poll for Bhopal Council post

By Our Staff Correspondent

BHOPAL, JAN. 19. The Madhya Pradesh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party today announced that it would continue its pressure on the Digvijay Singh Government for seeking a fresh election for Speakership of the Bhopal Municipal Corporation and an inquiry into the role of the District Collector and the thrashing of the BJP corporators by police during last week's election process, which has created a political storm here.

The former Mayor of Bhopal, Mr. Umashankar Gupta, today issued copies of relevant portions of the Madhya Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1956, and the Madhya Pradesh Municipal Corporation (Election of Speaker) Rules, 1998, to establish that by allowing the Rajya Sabha member, Mr. Suresh Pachouri, State Minister, Mr. Arif Aqueel, and some others to remain present inside the hall where polling was being held to elect the BMC Speaker last week, a gross irregularity had been committed by the District Collector in his capacity as the presiding officer for the elections. As if this was not enough, even the BJP corporators had been beaten up on instructions from the top, he alleged.

Addressing a press conference in front of the Chief Minister's bungalow where the State unit of the BJP is organising a protest dharna, Mr. Gupta cited the relevant rule to point out that the presiding officer could not have resumed polling which had earlier been adjourned after the 5 p.m. deadline.

He also stressed on the particular clause relating to secret ballot and said that since this clause had been violated by a Congress(I) corporator, his vote should have been declared invalid.

In view of the objections that were raised by the BJP corporators, the presiding officer should have adjourned the election process and called a fresh meeting for the Speaker's election. The Collector however, chose to bulldoze the election process by violating the rules and suppressing the BJP corporators by getting them thrashed by the police, he alleged.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Dr. Gauri Shankar Shejwar, said it is not just an issue relating to the election procedure but also misconduct. The question that arises is ``how could the Presiding Officer allow Mr. Suresh Pachouri, Mr. Arif Aqueel, along with Mr. P.C. Sharma, a local MLA, inside the hall where the corporators had assembled to elect their Speaker?''

The Collector also ordered the thrashing of the corporators, including women members, by male policemen instead of resolving the objections raised by them, Dr. Shejwar charged.

The working president of the State unit BJP, Mr. Vikram Verma, today issued a warning to the Congress(I) saying that the BJP workers can also pay in the same coin if the Congressmen are in an offensive mood. In the same breath, he reiterated that the BJP would continue to democratically lodge its protest.

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Section  : Regional
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