Patna: The Patna High Court has served notices to 42 MLAs of the Bihar Assembly in response to a petition that accuses them of submitting false information in their election affidavits and cites purported voting irregularities that occurred during the Assembly elections.
Among those served notices is Bihar Assembly Speaker Prem Kumar, who represents the Gaya Assembly constituency.
The petitions have been filed by defeated candidates from the respective constituencies challenging the victory of the sitting MLAs.
The petitions allege irregularities in the election process and misrepresentation of facts in the affidavits submitted at the time of filing nominations.
After a preliminary hearing, the High Court sought responses from all the MLAs named in the petitions. The matter is currently pending adjudication.
Several senior leaders from both the ruling and opposition parties have received notices.
These include State Finance and Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav, former Minister Jivesh Mishra, MLA Chetan Anand, and RJD MLA from Goh Amrendra Prasad.
The petitioners have alleged that several winning candidates failed to disclose complete details related to assets, educational qualifications, and dates of birth in their affidavits.
They further claimed that despite these discrepancies, the Election Commission of India allowed the candidates to contest without adequate scrutiny.
The defeated candidates have approached the High Court seeking legal remedy, asserting that the alleged lapses strike at the integrity of the electoral process.
The development has intensified political churn in Bihar, particularly as it follows the Bihar Assembly Election 2025, in which the NDA registered a landslide victory, jointly securing 202 seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly.
The NDA comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha.
Notably, a majority of the MLAs facing notices belong to ruling alliance parties.
The High Court will consider the responses submitted by the MLAs in the next hearing.
All legislators have been directed to furnish documentary evidence to establish the legality of their election to the Bihar Assembly.
(IANS)
