RS poll: Ahmed Patel denies he had hand in issuance of whip

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel denied before the Gujarat High Court Friday that he made his party issue a whip during the 2017 Rajya Sabha election to threaten the MLAs who might have voted against him.

Patel was cross-examined for the second consecutive day by the lawyer of BJP leader Balwantsinh Rajput, who has challenged Patel's election.

Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain, who is appearing for Rajput in his capacity as private lawyer, alleged that the whip issued by the Congress before the election was nothing short of a threat to party MLAs.

Referring to the July 25, 2017 meeting of Gujarat Congress MLAs, Jain asked Patel whether he knew that some legislators might vote against him. Patel said state party leaders did apprise him of the possibility after the meeting.

The Congress leader also said that the whip asking MLAs to vote for him was issued by Legislative Party leader Mohansinh Rathva before he had reached the meeting's venue.

Patel replied "no idea" when Jain asked him if he was aware that an MLA cannot be disqualified for violation of a party whip during the Rajya Sabha election.

The whip, as read out by Jain, stated that whoever violated it would be disqualified for six years under the anti-defection provisions of the Constitution.

Patel said "not true" when Jain accused him of stopping MLAs from "exercising their free will" and "issuing a threat" in the form of whip.

The senior Congress leader also strongly denied the suggestion that though MLAs cannot be disqualified for violating such a whip, Patel made the party issue one.

He also denied Jain's charge that the whip was akin to a "threat", and he might have lost had it not been issued.

Jain alleged that Patel had reached for the meeting in time and was involved in the process of issuance of whip. Patel denied the allegation.

Rajput filed the election petition after he lost to Patel in the keenly-contested Rajya Sabha election from Gujarat on August 8, 2017. Among other things, he has accused Patel of bribing the MLAs.

The cross-examination before Justice Bela Trivedi would continue on June 24.