EC seeks report from DM on Kushwaha's episode

Patna, Oct 12: The Election Commission on Monday sought a report from East Champaran District Magistrate on a sting video that purportedly showed Bihar minister Awadhesh Prasad Kushwaha accepting bribe even as BJP demanded a CBI probe into the incident.

"We have sought a report from the District Magistrate at the earliest...We will take action after going through the (inquiry) report," Additional Chief Electoral Officer (ACEO) R Lakshmanan told PTI.

Meanwhile, Senior Bihar BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters that a CBI inquiry should be ordered to bring the truth of the Nitish Kumar government.

Kushwaha, who held Urban Development and Registration, Excise and Prohibition departments, had yesterday resigned from the Nitish Kumar cabinet after a video went viral on social networking sites where Kushwaha was shown accepting money from a Mumbai-based businessman in return of favours.

Coming into action mode soon after the episode came to light in a bid to stem the damage, JD(U) national president Sharad Yadav late last night said that Kushwaha's resignation has been received and forwarded to the Governor for acceptance.

Kushwaha's expose came as a big embarrassment for the Nitish Kumar government and his grand secular alliance hours before the first phase of polling. Kushwaha termed it as "a high-level" conspiracy hatched by his rivals and expressed hope that he would come clean.

The JD(U) has announced it would replace Kushwaha at Pipra Assembly seat in East Champaran in the wake of the sting. Pipra will go to polls in 4th phase, nomination papers for which can be filed by October 14, 2015. Polling would be held on November 1, 2015.

PTI