Jharkhand RS polls: CBI to scrutinise MLAs votes

Accordingly,the CBI on Thursday took in its possession the ballot box used by the MLAs to cast their votes. The box was sealed in the presence of the polling agents of political parties. It was taken to the CBI office and would be sent to Delhi.

Every ballot has a counterfoil and both have the same number. On the basis of this number,the CBI will identify the MLAs who cross-voted. After the Income-Tax seized Rs 2.15 crore from a vehicle belonging to the brother of Independent candidate R K Agrawal hours before the polls,the EC had countermanded the election to two RS seats in the state. The election was rescheduled for May 3.

Later,in response to a petition,the Jharkhand High Court ordered a CBI probe. The investigating agency lodged an FIR on April 19. Two days later,it raided the premises of a dozen persons,including Agrawal,Congress MLA K N Tripathi at Daltongunj,RJD MLA Suresh Paswan at Deogarh,JMM MLA Vishnu Bhaiyya at Jamtara and seized,among other things,laptops and files related to bank transactions. Investigators recovered Rs 3 lakh and a new Toyota Fortuner from Bhaiyyas residence at Jamtara. Since the car does not have a registration number,we are trying to find the dealer from whom it was purchased, said a CBI officer.