Shimla, July 28,

In a major development in the ongoing probe into alleged cross-voting during the Rajya Sabha elections, police have seized three mobile phones belonging to former Congress MP Ravi Thakur. Thakur, who allegedly voted for BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan, appeared at the Boilueganj police station to join the probe after being granted anticipatory bail by the Supreme Court.

During the four-hour interrogation, the police reportedly questioned Thakur extensively about his communications during his stays in Panchkula and Uttarakhand, where he used the three seized phones. Thakur surrendered the phones and was also questioned about the payment of his hotel bills during these stays. However, Thakur maintained that questions about his voting motives during cross-examination should be dealt with in court rather than by the police.

Despite allegations that Thakur received ₹15 crore in exchange for his vote, he claimed that the police did not question him about these allegations. So far, the police have not found any concrete evidence to support the bribery claims, posing a significant challenge to the ongoing investigation.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is conducting a detailed probe into the FIR filed by Congress members Sanjay Awasthi and Bhubaneswar Gaur. The probe includes looking into the activities of six Congress members and three independent members suspected of cross-voting. The SIT is also probing payments for five-star accommodation and air travel between Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttarakhand, allegedly made by private individuals. The police have obtained bills and transaction details related to these expenses.

Moreover, the probe extends to Ashish Sharma and Rakesh Sharma, who are accused of undue interference in elections, bribery and criminal conspiracy. The case includes the investigation of a private secretary of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and four former Congress MLAs, all of whom have been issued presence notices to assist in the probe.

As the investigation continues, these representatives are being closely monitored to ensure accountability and transparency.

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