SP candidate caught on camera accepting he bribed voters
Samajwadi Party candidate from Agra (North) seat Atul Garg has reportedly been caught in a sting operation while accepting he had bribed voters to get them to vote in his favour. The video shows Garg saying he will spend limitless money for winning the election. Meanwhile, the police have filed an FIR against him and are now investigating the matter.
The Samajwadi Party's (SP) already weak stake on the nine Agra assembly seats has suffered a major setback on the Agra (North) seat, where a TV sting has revealed alleged electoral malpractices by the SP candidate Atul Garg. The Agra police has filed an FIR against Garg and is now investigating the matter.According to Agra SSP Dr. Pritinder Singh, a sting operation conducted by a TV channel in Agra allegedly showed SP candidate from Agra (North) seat, Atul Garg, accepting that he had bribed voters to get them to vote in his favour. As these were serious charges, the police has registered an FIR and the video is being sent for a forensic test to ascertain if the video was genuine.Also read: Uttar Pradesh elections: Busted - fake fingers, real votesOn the other hand, Atul Garg, who is also a prominent local businessman and hotelier, claimed that the tape has been fabricated and his comments are being shown out of context after doctoring the tape. He said that the whole sting was a bunch of lies and the forensic test of the tapes will reveal the truth very soon.Agra (North) Assembly area returning officer and Additional City Magistrate (II), Aniruddh Pratap Singh told India Today that the police has been asked to register a case against the SP candidate Atul Garg under Sections 171/B and E of IPC. The video shows Atul Garg saying that he will spend limitless money for winning the elections, which amounts to gratifying or bribing the voters.Also read: Election Commission censures Manohar Parrikar for his bribery remark, asks him to be careful in futureMeanwhile, All India Majlis Ittehadul Musalmin district president Mohd. Idrees demanded that both Atul Garg as well as the Peace Party candidate on Agra Cantonment seat Rakesh Valmiki should be given the toughest of punishments for trying to influence voters with money. He demanded that the election commission should immediately nullify the elections held on both these seats and order fresh polling after removing these two candidates. He said that the sting shown on TV was a fact of these elections and strongest possible action was required in such cases to deter such people.Notably, a complaint has also been filed against the Peace Party candidate Rakesh in the Sadar police station. He has also been shown claiming that he is spending money in these elections.