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Ranchi, April 21 (IANS) Ahead of a fresh Rajya Sabha election in the state on May 3, the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P) has accused the Congress of trying to win its legislators' votes by offering top central government posts. Pradeep Yadav, JVM-P legislative party leader, Friday alleged that the Congress offered the party to appoint people of its choice as chairpersons in three boards and corporations run by the Central government. However, Shakeel Ahmad, who is in charge of the Congress affairs in Jharkhand, denied the charge and said no such offer was made. Election from Jharkhand to the upper house of parliament was countermanded last month after income tax officials seized Rs.2.15 crore, supposed to be payoffs for votes, from a vehicle owned by an independent candidate's brother. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), meanwhile, used the allegations to attack both the Congress and the JVM-P, which had together fought the 2009 assembly elections against the BJP. "The CBI should arrest Shakeel Ahmad. Congress is trying to influence voting in the Rajya Sabha election by offering such posts. The party is indulging in horse trading," Harendra Pratap Singh, in-charge of the Jharkhand BJP, told reporters Saturday. For the fresh election, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the BJP, who rule the state jointly, have put up separate candidates. The Congress too has entered the battle, and is said to be dissuading the JVM-P, which has 11 legislators, from fielding a candidate like it did in the countermanded election. -- Indo-Asian News Service ns/sog/vt
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