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The HC declared her election null and void under the Representation of People Act for concealing information about her properties in her poll affidavit. File pic/News18
Dasanglu Pul, who is the third wife of former chief minister Kalikho Pul, was re-elected from the Hayuliang seat in 2019 after winning it for the first time in a bypoll in 2016 following her husband’s death. However, Congress candidate Lupalam Kri, who lost to Pul in 2019, filed a petition in the court, challenging her election
The Gauhati High Court’s Itanagar bench has declared the election of Dasanglu Pul, a ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator in Arunachal Pradesh, null and void under the Representation of People Act for concealing information about her properties in her poll affidavit.
The BJP leader, who is the third wife of former chief minister Kalikho Pul, was re-elected from the Hayuliang seat in 2019 after winning it for the first time in a bypoll in 2016 following her husband’s death. However, Congress candidate Lupalam Kri, who lost to Pul in 2019, filed a petition in the court, challenging her election.
“…the respondent/returned candidate [Dasanglu Pul] had not presented her nomination paper in accordance with Section 33 of the Representation of People Act, 1951, and as such the nomination paper of the respondent/returned candidate is liable to be rejected,” the court said.
The HC went on to say, “Hence, the improper acceptance of the nomination of the respondent/returned candidate by the returning officer, therefore, has materially affected the result of the election of the respondent/returned candidate.”
Kri had contended in his petition that Pul’s candidature was substantially defective as she did not declare her husband’s four properties in Mumbai and two in Arunachal Pradesh in the affidavit filed by her. He also claimed that the returning officer had improperly accepted Pul’s candidature despite a written complaint against her.
Dasanglu Pul, however, submitted to the court that in view of the legal heir certificate, Kalikho Pul’s first wife Dangwimsai Pul is the owner of his properties. Due to this, she did not mention any of those properties in the election affidavit, she told the court.
Following the HC’s decision, Dasanglu Pul has stated that she will challenge it in the Supreme Court.
Observers say this case highlights the importance of transparency and honesty in the electoral process. Candidates are required to disclose all relevant information, including their assets and liabilities, to ensure that voters are able to make informed decisions. Failure to do so can result in serious consequences, including disqualification from holding office.
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