HP: Congress real 'vote chor', won Dehra bypoll unfairly, says LoP

Shimla, Sep 26 (PTI) Leader of Opposition in Himachal Pradesh Assembly, Jai Ram Thakur, raised serious allegations against the ruling Congress on Friday for misusing government machinery and distributing lakhs of rupees among women during the code of conduct in the Dehra assembly by-elections.

Talking to the reporters in Mandi, Thakur said that the Congress, which has launched a nationwide "vote chor" campaign, had itself resorted to unfair means to win the Dehra bypoll in 2024 by distributing lakhs to mahila mandala through the Kangra Cooperative Bank during the code of conduct.

Earlier, several BJP leaders alleged that the budget was allocated to 67 mahila mandals through Kangra Cooperative Bank, and a three-month instalment was deposited in the accounts of 1,000 women of Dehra area under 'Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi Yojana'.

Stating that it was the first instance of this kind in Himachal Pradesh where any electoral process was influenced through a government mechanism, Thakur said that the Congress party has no faith in the democratic system and is the real "vote chor".

Congress candidate Kamlesh Thakur, wife of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, had won from the Dehra assembly seat, defeating her nearest rival Hoshiyar Singh of the BJP by a margin of 9,399 votes.

The BJP leader said that Hoshyar Singh is approaching the Himachal Pradesh High Court after receiving complete information through an RTI and added that no answer was given when the matter was raised in the Vidhan Sabha earlier.

Hoshyar Singh is free to pursue a legal battle after he obtained the crucial information on the disbursement of money through a bank during elections, he said. Hoshyar Singh has also announced that he will challenge the by-election in the High Court. PTI BPL SHS AMJ AMJ