NEW DELHI:
After Samajwadi Party’s Jaya Bachchan and Amar Singh, the Election Commission now has to decide on UP Minister Mohammad Azam Khan and 12 MLAs of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly as well for holding offices of profit. Amar Singh’s case was forwarded to the Election Commission by President APJ Abdul Kalam while Azam Khan’s case and that of the 12 Himachal legislators have come from their respective governors. Disclosing this, Chief Election Commissioner B.B. Tandon said the petitioner alleged that Azam Khan was holding an office of profit as chairman of UP Jal Nigam while the 12 Himachal MLAs have employed as parliamentary secretaries by the state government. ??We have given notices to them and their replies have also come. We have to fix a date for their hearings,’’ Tandon said.
On whether the Commission has received any communication from President Kalam with regard to any other legislators holding offices of profit, Tandon said: ??No other communication. We have only received the petition concerning Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh. We’ve given notice seeking his response by March 31.’’
On the NDA’s representation against the continuance of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla for alleged links with the Congress, Tandon said the matter was under consideration. He said that he had received a copy of the NDA’s petition on March 17, the day after the NDA delegation met President Kalam.
Chawla, who was appointed as Election Commissioner last year and has been accused of receiving funds for his family trusts from Congress politicians, was present at the press conference but refused comment.
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