Patna: A local court in Bihar on Thursday cancelled the Lok Sabha membership of Bhartiyta Janata Party (BJP) parliamentarian Chhedi Paswan for hiding facts about past criminal convictions in his poll affidavit filed before the Election Commission.
Paswan is a Lok Sabha member from Sasaram seat in Bihar.
The Patna High Court Thursday issued the order while hearing a complaint petition filed by one Ganga Mishra.
In his petition, the complainant had charged the parliamentarian with concealing a criminal case in his poll affidavit filed before the EC at the time of filing of nomination papers.
The case was registered against the parliamentarian in 2006 for staging a sit-in to press for making operational the Durgawati water reservoir.
Paswan termed the court order as “politically motivated”. “Although I respect the court order yet it is “politically motivated”. I had staged a sit-in over the issue of social interest,” Paswan told the media Thursday adding he would move the higher court in appeal.
Paswan had won the last 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Sasaram seat, defeating then Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.
He is a third-time parliamentarian from Bihar. Earlier, he was elected to the Lok Sabha on Janata Dal ticket in 1989 and 1991. Just before the 2014 LS polls, however, he joined the BJP and was fielded from Sasaram seat against Meira Kumar which he won with a comfortable margin in the Narendra Modi wave.
