Congress Challenges BJP Candidate's Affidavit in Nandigram By-Poll

The West Bengal Pradesh Congress filed a petition in the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday challenging the election affidavit of Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Hasirani Rath for the Nandigram by-poll. The petition seeks the cancellation of Rath's candidature if her educational qualifications are proven false.

Congress leader and advocate Ritzu Ghosal alleged a factual impossibility in the filings. Ghosal noted that while Rath claimed to be over 60 years old, her affidavit listed 1965 as the year she passed the Madhyamik examination. The petitioner argued that Rath could not have completed the examination during the same period she was born.

The filing asserts that the Election Commission of India failed to act during its initial scrutiny of the affidavit. Justice Krishna Rao permitted the filing of the petition to address these discrepancies.