The nomination of former BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav, the Varanasi Lok Sabha candidate backed by the Samajwadi Party, has reportedly been rejected by the Varanasi district election office. As per a report in the BBC, Yadav has said that he will appeal to the Supreme Court to overturn this decision.
As per reports, the Election Commission on April 30, issued a notice to Yadav, saying that government employees who have been dismissed for “corruption or disloyalty to the state,” shall be disqualified from campaigning for five years.
As per the EC, Yadav had filed his nomination first as an independent candidate. In the documents he had then submitted, he accepted that he had been dismissed from government duty. According to the District Election Officer, when Bahadur filed the second nomination on April 29, he filed an affidavit that claimed his previous answer — ‘yes’ — was written by mistake in the nomination papers filed on April 24.
Rajesh Gupta, Tej Bahadur Yadav’s lawyer told ANI, “We had submitted the evidence that was asked from us. Still, the nomination was declared invalid. We will go to the Supreme Court.”
Rajesh Gupta, Tej Bahadur Yadav's lawyer: We had submitted the evidence that was asked from us. Still, the nomination was declared invalid. We will go to the Supreme Court. pic.twitter.com/erLdG6N7up
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) May 1, 2019
Earlier today, Yadav had alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was creating “roadblocks” in his nomination process to “prevent” him from contesting elections against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi.
Speaking to PTI, he said, “I had filed my first nomination as an Independent candidate on April 24 and on SP party symbol on April 29. If there were any issues with the nominations, why wasn’t I informed earlier? Despite lack of time, our legal team is furnishing all details to the RO (returning officer).”
Also read: After 111 Farmers, Now a Former BSF Jawan to Contest Against PM Modi in Varanasi
“We were asked to reply by 11 am today. My counsel has given all the answers, correspondences with the Election Commission (EC) to the RO’s office. A NOC (no-objection certificate) is needed from the BSF, as to on what grounds I was dismissed,” Yadav said.
“I am being stopped from fighting elections as the ‘nakli chowkidar (fake watchman)’ of the country is afraid of the ‘asli (real) chowkidar’,” he alleged, referring to the BJP’s chowkidar campaign.
Yadav alleged that the poll observer had put pressure on the returning officer by interfering in the filing of his nomination on Monday. “He took the returning officer outside and put pressure on him to issue a notice,” Yadav had told The Quint. “From this is it clear that I am being stopped from filing my nomination. Modi is afraid that a real chowkidar will defeat him.”
Yadav claimed Modi wanted to prevent him from filing the nomination at a time when the entire country and the whole Opposition was backing him. “We are trying our best, our supporters, the party is part of the effort, but the other side is also making full effort to stop it,” he added.
Uttar Pradesh SP spokesperson Manoj Rai Dhupchandi had alleged that Yadav was being “targeted” as he represented the aspirations and angst of farmers and jawans, and claimed the BJP got “afraid” of him as he is getting support from the people in Varanasi.
“Our supporters are also present outside the EC office in Delhi. We will continue to fight for justice,” he had told PTI.
Tej Bahadur Yadav was sacked from service after he posted a video on social media in January 2017 about the watery dal and burnt rotis served to soldiers. He was dismissed after a court of inquiry found him guilty on charges of indiscipline for going public with his grievances.
(With PTI inputs)