Block Panchayat member levels various allegations against MLA Mamta Rakesh

Dehradun, 1 Oct: Block Panchayat member, Karuna Devi Karanwal and others, today held a press conference wherein they alleged many irregularities done by Bhagwanpur MLA and Congress leader Mamta Rakesh and her family. Karanwal alleged that Mamta Rakesh and her family had been indulging in muscle power and strongarm tactics to control things in Bhagwanpur, and had also been indulging in illegal activities. She alleged that despite the fact that Mamta Rakesh’s family members are residents of Nagar Panchayat area of Bhagwanpur for a very long time and were registered as voters in the urban area only, she made her son Abhishek Rakesh and daughter Ayushi Rakesh contest the recently concluded Block Panchayat elections (Kshetra Panchayat)  for the post of members.

Karanwal claimed that both the MLA who is a Congress leader, and her brother-in-law who is a BJP leader have been abusing their power and hold on the officials. They had connived with some officers and staff to manipulate the records to show the family as voters from village Sikandarpur and Sirchandi, though they have no connection with these villages, mainly to enable them to conest the Panchayat elections. She further reminded that in the election of Nagar Panchayat President, these people had also contested and where Sehti Devi, the mother-in-law law of Mamta Rakesh was elected president of Nagar Panchayat Bhagwanpur.  She further alleged that Ayushi, daughter of Mamta Rakesh, had filed nomination from three Block Panchayat seats namely, Sisouna, Telpura and Akabpur Kalso, whereas under Section 53(6) of the Uttarakhand Panchayati Raj Act, 2016, no candidate can contest more than one Kshetra Panchayat poll. An objection was given to the Returning Officer in this regard, but action was not taken by the RO as per rules, and the nomination was not cancelled.