MNS challenges Mumbai Congress chief’e election to assembly

MUMBAI - The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Tuesday lodged a petition in the Bombay High Court, challenging the election of Mumbai Congress chief Kripa Shankar Singh, whose name has also been linked to the Madhu Koda scam.

Petitioner Chandrakant G. More, who contested and lost against Singh from Kalina constituency in the October assembly elections, has alleged several discrepancies in Singh’s disclosure of his movable and immovable assets, his legal advisor R. Govilkar said.

Such disclosure of assets and property is a statutory requirement for contesting an election and must accompany the filed nomination form. More has alleged that Singh has not disclosed the immovable assets held in the name of his wife Malati.

Singh was not available for comment despite attempts to contact him.

More said that Singh in his affidavit filed Sep 24, 2009, has given PAN Card number as CFYPS 989P. But in the previous election affidavit filed Sep 21, 2004, Singh gave the PAN Card number as AVAPS1485L.

“Thus, the respondent has stated on oath that he has two PAN numbers, one in 2004 and another in 2009, which is contrary to the law and holding more than one PAN card by itself is an offence and violation of law,” the petitioner contended.

“As far as PAN Card No CFYPS 989P is concerned, there is an obvious wrong description as the PAN Card number necessarily contains 10 characters, ie, figures and alphabets. The PAN number mentioned in Singh’s affidavit consists only of nine characters, six alphabets and three digits,” he said.

More claimed that Singh’s wife Malati has purchased agricultural land in Mouja Kanhaipur, Pargana Haveli in Sadar tehsil of Jaunpur district in Uttar Pradesh, which has not been disclosed in his affidavit. He has listed several other such undeclared assets purportedly owned by Singh and his wife.

More added that the non-disclosure of the complete information by Singh of the immovable properties/assets owned by him and his spouse has affected the free and fair election.

“The nomination paper, thus accepted, was an incomplete, wrong, and faulty affidavit, which is no affidavit in the eyes of law, and has resulted into improper acceptance of the nomination. And hence, the election has been materially affected,” he said.

The petitioner urged the court that Singh has patently and blatantly violated the mandatory statutory directions/requirements of the Election Commission’s order (dated March 27, 2003) under Article 324(1) of the constitution.

He has contended that in view of these issues, Singh’s election from Kalina constituency to the Maharashtra state assembly is “null and void” and “liable to be quashed and set aside”.

The state assembly elections were held Oct 13 and the results were announced Oct 22, in which the ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party combine swept to power for a third consecutive time.

A diary seized from former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, who is at the centre of a Rs.2,500 crore money laundering scam, reportedly names Kripa Shankar Singh as one of the alleged accomplices in his acts of wrongdoing.