Shimla, July 10
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has granted BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harsh Mahajan one week to file a reply to the election petition filed by Congress candidate and senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi. Justice Ajay Mohan Goel issued this order, rejecting Mahajan’s request to dismiss Singhvi’s petition.
Representing Singhvi, senior counsel Neeraj Gupta urged the court to proceed with arguments, pointing out that Mahajan had not adhered to the court’s timeline for filing his reply. The court criticized the timing of Mahajan’s application to dismiss the petition, noting it was submitted on the last day, thus causing delays. The next hearing is set for July 23, where both parties will present their arguments.
Singhvi’s petition challenges the result of the Rajya Sabha elections, specifically contesting the rule of deciding tied elections by a lottery draw. On February 27, the election ended in a tie, and the returning officer applied a three-candidate lottery formula. Singhvi argues that with only two candidates, the winner should be determined directly by the lottery draw, rather than using a three-candidate formula, which led to his loss.
Singhvi maintains that the only issue in dispute is the method used to declare the winner. He asserts that the application of the three-candidate lottery was incorrect and that he should have been declared the winner under the proper formula.
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