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Presidential election: Bhujbal’s Voting Rights Opposed By ED

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Chhagan Bhujbal AV

Nationalist Congress Party leader Chhagan Bhujbal has sought permission from the special court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for casting his vote in the presidential election scheduled to be held on July 20. However, Enforcement Directorate lawyer Hiten Vengaonkar has opposed Bhujbal’s plea. As per section 45 of the PMLA the court doesn’t have rights to offer voting rights to those leaders who are convicted. The court can’t issue orders to grant special rights to Bhujbal. Such orders can be issued after receiving instructions from the High Court after filing review petition. The PMLA court has asked Bhujbal’s lawyer Shalabh Saxena whether he wants to withdraw the application. Saxena replied that he will have a word with Bhujbal and inform the court. The hearing of this matter will be held on Monday.

In his application Bhujbal had mentioned, “Since I am a legislator and having voting rights hence please grant me permission to cast my vote for the presidential election.”

On Tuesday morning Bhujbal was produced in the court as he approached his lawyer Shalabh Saxena to move a plea to execute his right as Member of legislative Assembly (MLA) from Yeola constituency, Nashik district.

“The vote of an MLA is not singular. The value of each vote for the election depends on the population of the state, and the number of MLAs. Bhujbal is listed on number 2,731 in the list of voters, and it is his constitutional duty and right to cast vote,” Saxena said.

Bhujbal has been lodged in Arthur Road jail in the city since March last year after the ED arrested him in Maharashtra Sadan scam and other cases. He had earlier approached the Bombay High Court seeking bail on medical grounds.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau had filed an FIR against Bhujbal after it found irregularities in construction of Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi which was built at a cost of Rs 100 crore. It is alleged that the contractor had given kickbacks to Bhujbal.

The ED has in its complaint alleged that from 2006, the Bhujbals and their associates laundered money to the tune of Rs4,264.25 crore. The complaint further alleged that the former deputy CM laundered money to the tune of Rs291.71 crore, while Sameer and Pankaj had laundered Rs359.30 crore each.

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