GUWAHATI: A day ahead of the bypolls in Assam, the state unit of the Congress on Friday wrote to the chief electoral officer, demanding disqualification of BJP candidate for Bhabanipur constituency Phanidhar Talukdar for allegedly distributing money to woo the voters.
The party has accused the candidate, who quit the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and joined the saffron party last month, of indulging in bribery and corrupt practices by distributing money to the voters ahead of the bypolls outside his residence in lower Assam's Bhabanipur constituency.
The letter signed by state general secretary of the Congress, Bobbeeta Sharma, stated, "It is has come to the notice of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee through media reports and video clippings that went viral on social media platform that the BJP candidate has distributed money among the voters. This brazen act by the candidate is a gross violation of the provisions of Section 123 (1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 as well as the Election Commission of India's model code of conduct."
Therefore, the party has written to the chief electoral officer demanding prompt and immediate action against the candidate.
"It is our ardent request that the Election Commission should not take such matters lightly and take strong punitive action so that in future no candidate would dare to disregard the Commission's model code of conduct and indulge in such corrupt practices," the letter stated.
It may be mentioned that ruling BJP gave the Bhabanipur seat to its key ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) to contest the assembly elections for the 126-member house held in April. However, the AGP could not succeed. Talukdar, who was then AIUDF candidate, defeated AGP candidate Rajit Deka by a margin of over 3,000 votes.
On September 1, Talukdar quit the AIUDF and joined the BJP. He was the first to shift from the AIUDF to the BJP.
Four other legislative constituencies will also go for polls on October 30 along with Bhabanipur.
