Notice issued to Kishor over name in voter lists of Bihar, Bengal
Patna/Kolkata (PTI): Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor was on Tuesday served with a notice over his name being reportedly registered as a voter in his home state Bihar, as well as adjoining West Bengal.
However, the former political strategist stuck to his guns, asserting that the onus was on EC, which "claims to have purified electoral rolls in Bihar through SIR", to have done the needful in his case.
The notice has been issued by the district election office in Rohtas district of Bihar, where Kishor has been registered as a voter in Kargahar assembly segment. He has been asked to respond within three days.
According to official records, Kishor is enrolled as a voter in West Bengal at 121, Kalighat Road, the address of the Trinamool Congress headquarters in Kolkata's Bhabanipur assembly constituency, which is Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee's seat, an election official in West Bengal said.
"His polling station is listed as St Helen School on B Ranishankari Lane," the official added.
During the 2021 assembly elections in West Bengal, Kishor had worked as a political consultant for the TMC
In case of a change of address, a person must apply for inclusion of his name in the new place after filling up Form 8, which is a declaration that he has shifted base and consents to deletion from the voters' list at the earlier place of residence.
The notice issued by DEO, Rohtas, from the district headquarters of Sasaram, has cited a report published in a leading English daily, which has pointed out the anomaly in the case of Kishor.
The notice points out that "Section 31 of the Representation of People Act" prohibits a person from having his name enrolled as a voter at more than one place, and that violation of the provision was "punishable with imprisonment for one year, or fine, or both".
However, Kishor, who was away in Araria district for assembly poll campaign, remained defiant.
Speaking to reporters, he said, "I have been a voter in Kargahar since 2019. Since I lived in Kolkata for a couple of years, I got enrolled as a voter there as well. The EC has bragged about purifying the electoral rolls in Bihar during SIR. Why did it not delete my name from one of the places?"
Indirectly charging the EC with acting at the behest of the BJP, which rules the Centre, Kishor said, "The Election Commission cannot bully me through its notice. Nor can the BJP, which is watching its leaders cower after their wrongdoings were exposed by me. The party is in power in Bihar as well as at the Centre. I challenge it to try all the aces up its sleeve."
Meanwhile, the ruling NDA as well as the opposition INDIA bloc in Bihar, where Kishor's foray into electoral politics has vexed both rival formations, latched on to the opportunity.
Neeraj Kumar, MLC and spokesperson of JD(U), which is headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, told PTI, "It is amusing that Prashant Kishor, who has all his establishments in Delhi, and hails from Bihar, chose to get registered as a voter in West Bengal. Since when did becoming a poll strategist necessitate your being a voter in the state you are providing your services?"
The JD(U) leader added, "We suspect Kishor had tried to strike a deal with Banerjee, that after her victory in the 2021 polls, she would get him elected to the Rajya Sabha. To become a member of the Upper House in Parliament he needed to be a resident of the state concerned. But the Trinamool Congress chief must have snubbed him after returning as the chief minister. So, in a sulk, he might have staged the drama of retiring from the consultancy business."
Notably, after Banerjee retained power in the last assembly polls with a thumping majority, Kishor had announced that he was hanging his boots as a political strategist.
A few months later, he launched a campaign 'Baat Bihar Ki', which got shelved after he was dragged into an Intellectual Property Rights case.
He made a comeback in 2022, when he launched a 3,500-km-long padayatra, naming his campaign 'Jan Suraaj', which culminated in the formation of a party last year.
State BJP spokesperson Neeraj Kumar came out with a strongly worded statement, accusing Kishor of "no minor oversight, but a heinous crime" and suspected that the Jan Suraaj Party founder was involved "in a vile conspiracy with the ruling TMC in West Bengal to undermine Bihar elections".
The BJP leader urged the Election Commission to launch an "immediate and rigorous investigation" against Kishor, whom he counted as among "political brokers and deal makers who trample upon democracy in their hunger for power".
RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said, "The episode completely exposes the farce that the SIR has been in Bihar, and which is now being carried across the country. Several instances of names of leaders belonging to the ruling NDA, registered as voters at more than one place, have come to the fore."
"Now, Prashant Kishor, whom we suspect of working, clandestinely, for the BJP-led coalition, has joined the list. Let him come forth with an explanation," he added.
The EC has acknowledged that duplication of voter entries is a recurring issue and cited it as one reason for launching the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls throughout the country.
The SIR, which started in Bihar, was completed with the publication of updated rolls on September 30, resulting in the removal of about 68.66 lakh entries, including roughly seven lakh cases of voters registered in multiple places.
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National Herald case: Shivakumar to seek time next week to appear before Delhi police
New Delhi/Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Monday said he will ask for time from Delhi police to appear before them next week, to provide required information as part of the probe into the National Herald case.
He said he will seek time after the ongoing winter session of Karnataka legislature ends on December 19. He will also ask the Delhi police to provide him the FIR copy.
Shivakumar, who is in the national capital, had earlier said that he will appear before the Delhi police on Monday. But, he postponed the plan in order to rush back to Karnataka to participate in the last rites of veteran Congress leader Shamanuru Shivashankarappa, scheduled later in the day in Davangere.
"I had to go (to appear before the Delhi police), but I have to go back urgently. I'm asking them for time, stating that I will come next week," Shivakumar told reporters in New Delhi.
"They (Delhi police) have not attached the FIR copy while issuing notice to me. I need FIR copy, because we had already given all the required replies to the ED. I don't know what the FIR says, I only read in papers. They have given notice, I will ask for a FIR copy. I will come next week after the Assembly session."
The Delhi Police had issued a notice to Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Congress chief, seeking financial and transactional details as part of its probe into the National Herald case.
The notice issued by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) states that Shivakumar is "supposed to be having vital information" pertaining to the National Herald case registered on October 3 this year, against top Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
In the notice dated November 29, the EOW had asked Shivakumar to appear before it or provide the requested information by December 19 latest.
Investigators have sought details about his personal background, his association with the Congress party, and a complete break up of funds allegedly transferred by him or associated entities to Young Indian.
To a question on meeting AICC General Secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala, amid the ongoing power tussle between him and CM Siddaramaiah over the Chief Minister post, Shivakumar said when he comes to Delhi, he usually meets every one.
"Whether it is Surjewala or Kharge (AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge) or Venugopal, I will meet everyone. During lunch yesterday I met Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. I have met everyone. What's wrong?" he asked.
Shivakumar was in Delhi to take part in Congress' "Vote Chori" rally on Sunday, and had also participated in the lunch organised by the party for its leaders.
Responding to a question, whether any meeting is planned with leaders today, the Deputy CM said, he and Kharge will be travelling together to Karnataka, to pay last respects to Shamanuru Shivashankarappa.
Asked if he will seek time for a separate meeting with Congress leadership including Rahul Gandhi, during the next visit to Delhi, Sivakumar said, "such things will be there between us in the party.... you don't worry."
