RS polls horse-trading: CBI goes to Assembly for investigation

Ranchi, Apr 21: The sleuths of

, investigating into allegations of horse-trading that resulted in the countermanding of Mar 30 Rajya Sabha elections in

, today went to the Assembly secretariat, apparently in the hope to get a breakthrough.

"A team of CBI officials reached the Assembly secretariat around 1 pm for some work in connection with their investigation," a senior official at the secretariat told PTI, but he refused to reveal more when asked whether the CBI had examined ballot papers.

A senior CBI official had on Apr 21 said the agency would approach the Election Commission to examine the ballot papers used in the poll to know whom the MLAs had voted in the cancelled RS elections for two seats.

To know an MLA's choice of candidate, the CBI sleuths could investigate the number of an used ballot paper by scratching a layer hiding it, and then matching with that of the counterfoil, according to sources in the assembly secretariat.

On Saturday last, the CBI raided the premises of three MLAs, Vishnu Bhaiyya (JMM), KN Tripathy (Congress) and Suresh Paswan (RJD) in connection with the case registered under section 171F (undue influence) and 188 of the Indian Penal Code (disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant).

PTI