Will move HC, says MP minister after being disqualified by EC

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh minister Narottam Mishra on Saturday said he will move the Madhya Pradesh High Court against the Election Commission order disqualifying him for three years for filing wrong accounts of election expenditure.

"I am going to move the Madhya Pradesh High Court against the Election Commission's order," Mishra told reporters here.

He was disqualified by the Election Commission for three years for filing wrong accounts of election expenditure during the 2008 Assembly polls. His election from the Datia Assembly constituency also stands void.

Mishra who is Water Resources and Legislative Affairs minister in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government said that according to legal experts the disqualification order was "infructuous".

To press his point, he said that the EC delivered its judgement based on the case relating to his win in 2008 MP assembly polls from Datia seat.

"After that I have won the people's mandate in 2013 MP assembly polls," he said.

"My advocate has told me that the case (his disqualification) was related to paid news. Neither the petitioner has provided a document to corroborate paid news charge against me, nor there is a mention of it in the Election Commission's order," he claimed.

Dismissing the Congress' demand for his resignation, Mishra said that if people start putting in their papers according to the rival party's wish, Madhya Pradesh will witness elections daily.

Rajendra Bharti of the Congress, who lost the 2008 MP assembly polls from Datia constituency to Mishra, a close aide of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, had filed a complaint against the minister with the EC under the Representation of the People Act, 1951 on April 4, 2009.

Thereafter, the EC had served notice to Mishra on January 15, 2013, Bharti said on Saturday.

Mishra had moved the Madhya Pradesh High Court and the Supreme Court against the EC notice, but did not get any relief, he added.

The EC held the final hearing of the case on March 17 this year and passed its order today.

The EC verdict has sent a strong signal to the politicians who employ corrupt practice to win polls, he said.

"Truth has finally triumphed," Bharti said.

The leader of opposition in MP assembly, Ajay Singh, said, "In view of the EC order, Mishra should immediately resign from the Cabinet."

State Congress chief Arun Yadav too sought Mishra's resignation.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) burnt the effigy of Mishra this evening near Board officer square in Bhopal, seeking his resignation.

"We burnt his effigy. We want him to resign immediately," state AAP join secretary and spokesman Dushyant Dangi said.

Mishra, who is also holding charge of Public Relations Department, was first elected as MLA in 1990.