Telangana HC dismisses election petition against Harish Rao

The petition was filed by Ghadagoni Chakradhar Goud of Bahujan Samaj Party, who had unsuccessfully contested the MLA election from Siddipet

Hyderabad: Justice Khaja Sharath of the Telangana High Court has dismissed the election petition filed against Siddipet MLA and senior BRS leader T Harish Rao.

The petition was filed by Ghadagoni Chakradhar Goud of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), who had unsuccessfully contested the MLA election from Siddipet. In his petition, Goud alleged misrepresentation in Form 26 affidavit submitted by Harish Rao, including non-disclosure of property details and pending criminal cases.

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Harish Rao filed an interlocutory application seeking dismissal of the election petition on the ground that it failed to meet statutory requirements. Advocate Chandrasekhar, representing Rao, argued that the allegations were baseless. He submitted that Rao had served as an MLA from Siddipet for seven terms and held several ministerial portfolios.

He further pointed out that Rao had secured a majority of around 83,000 votes in the recent election, whereas Goud had polled only 16,610 votes. The counsel contended that the petition was filed with an ulterior motive, and that all required disclosures had been made in the affidavit, including details of both movable and immovable assets and any pending criminal cases.

Referring to the allegation that voter turnout had increased from 45 to 85 per cent in the last hour of polling, the counsel said the claim was baseless and unsupported by any evidence.

After a detailed hearing, the court observed that all necessary disclosures under the Representation of the People Act had been duly made in the affidavit. Justice Sharath held that there were no triable issues regarding the alleged malpractices based on the averments and documents filed by Goud.

The court further ruled that the election petition was not maintainable, as it failed to comply with the requirements under Sections 83 and 100(1)(d) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Accordingly, the interlocutory application filed by Harish Rao was allowed, resulting in the dismissal of the election petition.