Koda's wife to contest from Singhbhum in Jharkhand assembly election

Ranchi, Nov. 9 (ANI): Scam-accused former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda's wife Geeta Koda will contest the upcoming assembly election from her husband's constituency, Singhbhum.

Madhu Koda, who faces charges of laundering Rs 4,000 crore, quit the assembly seat after he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Singhbhum in May this year.

Geeta will fight the assembly poll that starts November 25 from Jagannathpur seat, which was represented by Koda till May this year, a Jharkhand Navnirman Morcha statement said on Monday.

The JNM has been floated by supporters of Koda and is not a registered political party.

"My husband is innocent and he is being implicated," Geeta told people in Singhbhum.

Geeta has been galavanising support for her husband and visiting temples to pray for her husband's well-being. On Friday, she sacrificed 11 goats at a temple in Rangarh district, about 40 km from here.

Meanwhile, the Income Tax Department is preparing to question Koda at his residence in Ranchi in connection with the multi-crore hawala case.

Koda was discharged from hospital on Sunday, where he was admitted after complained of a pain in his abdomen, giddiness and vomiting on November 3.

The department has also asked its officers in Ranchi to bring a list of the seizures and records of statements of his associates, which will be put across to Koda during the questioning.

On October 9, the ED had charged Koda and his former Cabinet colleagues under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for allegedly amassing assets worth several hundred crores.

Koda, an independent member of Lok Sabha and a UPA supporter, has been charged with having business interests of diverse kinds including in cement, steel, auto, power, agro and tourism. (ANI)