Patna, July 21 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has filed a complaint with the Election Commission against Prashant Kishor, the Jan Suraj Party candidate for the upcoming Bankipur Assembly by-election, alleging violations of election expenditure rules and seeking an official investigation.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP’s state headquarters in Patna on Tuesday, Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari, BJP National Spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain, and BJP MLA Jivesh Mishra claimed that Kishor had spent several times more than the expenditure limit prescribed by the Election Commission.
According to BJP leaders, the Election Commission has fixed a maximum campaign expenditure limit of Rs 40 lakh for each candidate. However, the party alleged that Kishor has already spent several crores of rupees during the campaign.
The BJP further claimed that instead of showing these expenses directly in the candidate’s election account, the expenditure was allegedly routed through a third-party or dummy company, thereby concealing the actual campaign spending.
Shahnawaz Hussain alleged that the company under scrutiny has a paid-up capital of only Rs 5 lakh and was incorporated in October 2023. He questioned how such a company allegedly received Rs 4.5 crore shortly before the election.
Calling the matter a possible case of money laundering, the BJP demanded a thorough investigation into the financial transactions connected with the company and the campaign.
The BJP also accused Kishor’s campaign of attempting to influence voters through a large-scale online operation. According to the party, thousands of fake social media accounts are allegedly being used, several of which are purportedly operated from outside India. These accounts are allegedly spreading misinformation and posting abusive content targeting BJP leaders.
“We have submitted a written complaint, along with supporting evidence, to the Election Commission and requested an investigation into the bank transactions of the Jan Suraj Party, the financial dealings of its associated consultancy firm, alleged violations of election expenditure rules, and the alleged use of money power and artificial campaign methods to influence voters,” Hussain said.
As of now, Prashant Kishor and the Jan Suraj Party have not issued any official response to the allegations.
Polling for the Bankipur Assembly by-election is scheduled for July 30, while vote counting will take place on August 3.
The principal candidates in the contest are Neeraj Kumar Sinha of the BJP, Prashant Kishor of the Jan Suraj Party, and Rekha Gupta of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
The by-election is expected to witness a closely watched three-cornered contest, with political parties intensifying their campaigns ahead of polling day.
–IANS
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