CG-BYPOLL SCANDAL

Raman, Jogi father-son behind fixing of Antagarh bypoll: Pawar
    Raipur, Sep 7 (PTI) Manturam Pawar, the Congress
candidate in the Antagarh assembly bypoll in 2014 in
Chhattisgarh who abruptly withdrew from the fray, on Saturday
alleged that the election had been fixed by former chief
ministers Raman Singh and Ajit Jogi and former MLA Amit Jogi.
    Raman Singh denied his allegations while the other two
were unavailable for comments, being in hospitals.
    In a statement recorded before a magistrate here under
section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, (which is
admissible evidence during a trial) Pawar narrated how he was
allegedly offered inducements as well as pressurised for
withdrawing, leading to an easy victory of the BJP's nominee.
    He levelled serious allegations against former Chief
Minister and now BJP national vice president Raman Singh,
another former CM Ajit Jogi, his son Amit Jogi, former PWD
Minister Rajesh Munat and two others - Ameen Menon and Firoz
Siddiqui, said to be then close aides of Jogi.
    As per Pawar's affidavit before the court, on August
28, 2014 (ahead of the by-poll), Menon and Siddiqui met him
and said he should talk to Ajit Jogi as Ajit Jogi, Amit Jogi
and Raman Singh had decided that he would withdraw his
nomination for Rs 7 crore.
    "I asked them how they can fix such a deal. They made
me to talk to Raman Singh (then CM) over phone, who told me
that I have to do what they were saying. I felt very
disheartened and was uncomfortable with whatever was going on.
    "Then, Menon and Siddiqui also warned me if I did not
withdraw from the fray then Singh will not spare my family,"
he alleged.
    On August 29, 2014, Menon and his accomplices forcibly
took him to collector's office in Kanker district and forced
him to withdraw the nomination, and then held him "hostage"
for three days, Pawar said.
    "Ajit Jogi had also threatened me of dire consequences
if I refused to withdraw," he alleged.
    "On September 2, 2014, Menon forcibly brought me to
Raipur...Later the deal was fixed at the bungalow of then PWD
minister Rajesh Munat," Pawar claimed.
    Raman Singh refuted the allegations, calling it the
Congress government's "badla-pur" (vendetta) politics.
    "I had nothing to with Antagarh by-poll episode. I am
being dragged into it as part of a political conspiracy. This
is part of the Congress' strategy in view of Dantewada by-poll
which will be held on September 23," the former CM said in a
statement.
    "It is apparent that Pawar gave the statement under
political pressure... it is completely a `Badlapur' politics
of Congress. I will present my side in the court," the BJP
leader said.
    Ajit Jogi and Amit Jogi could not be contacted. Ajit
is in hospital in Delhi, while Amit, arrested in a false poll
affidavit case, is in hospital in Bilaspur.
    After the Congress government came to power last year,
it set up a Special Investigation Team to probe the alleged
fixing of 2014 Antagarh assembly by-poll.
    In February this year, the police registered an FIR
against Ajit Jogi, his son Amit, Raman Singh's son-in-law Dr
Puneet Gupta, former minister Rajesh Munat and Pawar over
alleged fixing of Antagarh bypoll.
    The by-election was won by the BJP's Bhojraj Nag.
Pawar, who pulled out from the fray a day before the last date
for withdrawal, was expelled from the Congress.
    An audio tape surfaced later, suggesting he pulled out
at the behest of the BJP, and it was facilitated by Ajit Jogi
and his son. The Jogi father-son duo denied the allegations.
    Later, Ajit Jogi quit the Congress and floated his own
outfit, Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J). Pawar joined the BJP
in March 2015. PTI TKP
KRK KRK

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from a PTI feed.)