BJP demands immediate counting of votes in Gujarat RS polls

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) A battery of senior union ministers on Tuesday approached the Election Commission demanding immediate counting of votes in the Rajya Sabha election in Gujarat and accused the Congress of trying to stall the process because it was staring at defeat.

Led by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the delegation told the commission that under Article 324 of the Constitution no authority can interfere with election process once the voting is completed and the ballots are put inside the box.

Briefing media after the meeting, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Power Minister Piyush Goyal said if any party has any complaint then only an election petition in courts is the course left for the agrieved.

Prasad said the Congress had no objection in the morning and did not ask for keeping aside the two impugned votes or asked them to be declared as tendered.

Congress has demanded the cancellation of votes of two of its MLAs complaining that they showed their ballots to the BJP leaders Amit Shah and Smriti Irani and another candidate against election rules.

When the returning officer and the two independent observers had no objection and completed the process, the Congress suddenly woke up in the evening because it was staring a defeat.

"We repeatedly told the Elelction Commission not to order a fishing enquiry on Congress demand. We told them clearly that once the ballets are cast and the box is closed you (Congress) can go to courts and move an election petition," Prasad said.

The two ministers said that the delegation demanded that the Elction Commission immediately order the counting process to be continued.