Allahabad, Dec. 4: The Allahabad High Court is likely to pronounce its judgement tomorrow on a petition challenging the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat.
The petition has been filed by sitting Congress MLA Ajay Rai, who was the party’s candidate against Modi from Varanasi in the 2014 general elections and was defeated.
Rai has challenged the election of Modi alleging that there were discrepancies in his nomination papers, that the expenses on campaign had exceeded permissible limits, voters were “bribed” through distribution of freebies and that religious sentiments were exploited through slogans like “Har Har Modi” whereby people were appealed to vote in favour of the BJP candidate in the name of Hindu pride.
The Congress candidate, who had finished third and forfeited his deposit in the one-sided electoral battle wherein Modi defeated his nearest rival Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party by a margin of 3.
71 lakh votes, had moved the court in June, 2014 - less than a month after results for the elections were announced.
Modi’s team of counsels, led by senior BJP leader and Additional Solicitor General of India Satyapal Jain, has questioned the maintainability of the petition and prayed that it be “dismissed in limine, without being put in trial and with exemplary costs”.
After hearing arguments on both sides, single judge bench of Justice Vikram Nath had on November 24 posted the matter for December 05 “for dictation of orders”.
