Madhya Pradesh BJP complains to EC against Digvijaya

The Madhya Pradesh BJP on Wednesday complained to the Election Commission (EC) that Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh is using his influence and exerting "pressure on 16 rebel MLAs of his party staying in Bengaluru to vote for him in the Rajya Sabha polls. Singh is a candidate in the March 26 polls.

Earlier in Wednesday morning, a high-voltage drama unfolded near the resort in Bengaluru where rebel Congress MLAs from Madhya Pradesh are staying, as Singh staged a protest there, accusing the Karnataka police of not allowing him to meet the party legislators. A Madhya Pradesh BJP spokesman here said a party delegation submitted a memorandum to the EC through the Chief Election Officer in Bhopal.

In the memorandum, the BJP said, Digvijaya Singh, who is a candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections from Madhya Pradesh, has gone to Bengaluru along with nine cabinet (MP) ministers and others to influence and pressurise 16 MLAs from the state to vote in his favour." Digvijaya Singh has tried to meet all 16 MLAs in order to pressurise them to vote in his favour in the Rajya Sabha elections but they refused to meet him. "After this, Digvijaya Singh along with the ministers staged a dharna and tried to create a law and order situation for the local administration," it said.

The BJP said being a candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections, to pressurise and influence MLAs amount to violation of the model code of conduct. It is, therefore, requested to kindly take appropriate action against Digvijaya Singh and others so that the Rajya Sabha elections are conducted peacefully and in a democratic manner, the memorandum said.

In a massive setback for the Congress, its prominent leader Jyotiradtya Scindia quit the party and in a coordinated rebellion 22 MLAs loyal to him resigned last week, pushing the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government to the brink of a collapse. Scindia joined the BJP on March 11.

MP Assembly Speaker N P Prajapati has accepted the resignations of six of the 22 MLAs who are staying in Bengaluru..

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