Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu with Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi speak to the media after Mr. Singhvi misplaced the election for the Rajya Sabha seat in Shimla on Feb. 27, 2024.
| Picture Credit score: PTI
Weeks after he misplaced the Rajya Sabha election from Himachal Pradesh, Congress chief Abhishek Manu Singhvi has filed an software within the Excessive Courtroom on April 6, difficult the interpretation of the draw of heaps guidelines by the ballot officer after there was a tie within the ballot.
BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan gained the February 27 election by means of the draw of heaps after each candidates secured 34 votes every. “There may be nothing within the legislation, neither within the act nor within the guidelines which compels an interpretation which requires that the particular person whose identify is drawn within the draw of heaps is a loser,” Mr. Singhvi advised reporters after submitting his petition within the Himachal Pradesh Excessive Courtroom.
Although the Congress had a energy of 40 members and the assist of three Independents within the Meeting, each the candidates polled 34 votes every as 9 legislators — six Congress rebels and three Independents — voted in favour of BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan.
Additionally learn: On cross-voting in Rajya Sabha elections | Defined
The winner was introduced by a draw of heaps and beneath the process adopted by the election officer, the particular person whose identify was drawn within the draw of heaps was declared the loser.
“It defies frequent sense, previous custom and practices, anyplace and in every single place on the earth that every time there’s a tie between two individuals, the particular person whose identify is drawn…needs to be the winner and never the loser. If our contentions are accepted finally by the Excessive Courtroom, the end result declared must be declared to be fallacious. There’s a unusual process for submitting the election petition which requires the petitioner to be current himself to file it and that’s the reason you discover me right here,” he stated.
The Congress in Himachal Pradesh plunged right into a disaster after the Rajya Sabha election defeat.
