A complaint has been lodged with the Election Commission alleging that Jairam Mahto, Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) chief and MLA, accepted foreign funding in the recently held Assembly elections. Following the complaint, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Jharkhand wrote to the Bokaro District Commissioner, directing an inquiry into the allegations.
The 30-year-old student, who is called ‘Tiger Jairam’ by his fans, emerged as an important change in the recently held Assembly elections, his party won a majority of the seats held by the Kudmi Mahto community and defied the electoral prospects of the BJP and its allies.
The complaint, emailed to the CEO by one Rahul Banerjee from West Bengal, alleges that Mahto, the MP from Dumri in Bokaro district, received money from Saudi Arabia. Banerjee also urged election officials to investigate the matter, cancel the registration of Mahto’s party, and bar him and other party leaders from participating in the election.
“It has come to light that JLKM is alleged to be receiving funds from foreign sources, especially from Saudi Arabia, during the election, which is a clear violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). Such actions not only undermine the integrity of the electoral process but also pose serious risks to the sovereignty of our democratic system,” the complaint said.
“If this is true, the registration of JLKM parties should be canceled immediately and Jairam Mahto and his party should be banned from the electoral process and the first phase votes on 13 November should not be released,” it added.
The complainant also shared screenshots of Mahto’s tweets about his fund raising to support his claims.
Following this, the Jharkhand CEO wrote to the District Commissioner of Bokaro, ordering him to investigate the matter.
Meanwhile, a senior party leader admitted that all JLKM candidates have opened a donation channel using QR codes.
Political parties, candidates, and election-related organizations are prohibited from accepting foreign donations under various laws.
Mahto recently made headlines for allegedly threatening his assistant, saying he would beat him up for accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000.
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