Ahmedabad, Jun 20 (UNI) Senior Congress leader and party treasurer Ahmed Patel was on Thursday examined as a witness in the Gujarat High Court in the case, challenging his election to the Rajya Sabha from the state in August, 2017.
The cross-examination was likely to continue on Friday, as well.
Mr Patel was cross-examined by advocate Satyapal Jain, who appeared for petitioner Balwantsinh Rajput, the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha election, who was defeated by a close margin by Mr Patel.
Mr Jain said he had asked Mr Patel about primary things and other stuff, including the meeting of Congress on July 25, 2017.
'The matter is still under hearing and cross examination was also to continue, so it would not be appropriate for me to make more comment about it,' Mr Jain said.
Mr Rajput, the former whip of Congress in Gujarat Assembly, had switched over to BJP before the election. He filed the election petition, after he was defeated in the election for three RS seats of Gujarat, as the third BJP candidate.
He alleged that Mr Patel had bribed legislators to get votes and he had also requested the court to quash the Election Commission's decision, to invalidate the two votes of then dissident Congress MLAs and his supporters Raghavji Patel and Bhola Gohil, which according to him, had resulted in his defeat.
On the other two seats, BJP candidates Amit Shah and Smriti Irani had won, but they have now resigned, owing to their election to the Lok Sabha.
Former Union Minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram was present in the court, as the counsel of Mr Patel.
UNI RAJ RJ 1946