The Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Tuesday said they will fight legally against the alleged concealment of a residential property by state BJP president and NEMO Assembly candidate Rajiv Chandrasekhar in his election affidavit.
The Congress on Monday alleged that Chandrasekhar failed to disclose his 49,000 square feet house in Bengaluru’s Koramangala district in his affidavit before the Election Commission of India (ECI). The BJP leader listed it as his address in his affidavit during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on which property tax was paid recently, the party said.
However, on Tuesday, after Chandrasekhar’s nomination papers were accepted by the Election Commission of India, the Congress said it would legally challenge them.
“The returning officer is a quasi-judicial authority and lacks the judicial power to decide such cases. So we plan to move forward through appropriate legal means,” KS Sabarinadhan, Congress candidate for Nemo State, told reporters.
“We are not against Chandrasekhar earning millions of rupees or owning many cars or houses. But he should declare it properly in his election affidavit. We all share our assets transparently,” he added.
V Sivankutty, CPI(M) candidate in Nemom, also announced that his party will initiate legal proceedings against Chandrasekhar in this regard.
“Not disclosing properties worth crores of rupees in the affidavit filed by the candidate amounts to a serious betrayal of the voters,” he said.
However, Chandrasekhar termed the Congress’ allegations “100% false”.
He said: “This is not a new allegation. During every election, they come with such allegations. Whenever the Congress is on the verge of losing the elections, they come with these new narratives. Between 2008 and 2018, the Congress attacked me several times and even ordered raids against me. They can go to court if they want to.”
