Assam Congress flags ‘technical error’ in nomination rejection of Barpeta candidate, mulls legal move

The Indian National Congress on March 28 termed the rejection of its candidate Mahamanda Sarkar’s nomination from the 4 No. Sorbhog constituency as a “mistake at some level” and asserted that a technical error should not be grounds for outright disqualification.

Congress leader Jitendra Singh said the party is preparing to move court over the issue, arguing that the rejection was unjustified. Sarkar’s nomination was reportedly rejected after it was found that a dot was missing between the required signature of the authorised party leader.

Singh maintained that the party had submitted additional forms to rectify the error and emphasised that such minor discrepancies should not lead to rejection. He also stated that Election Commission rules allow for rectification of technical errors during the scrutiny process, a position he said has been upheld by the Supreme Court of India in previous judgments.

“We submitted the corrected forms during scrutiny, and our High Court counsel was also present. But the EC acted like a ‘karyakarta’ and rejected the nomination,” he alleged.

The Congress leader added that the party would pursue all legal remedies, including seeking annulment of the election if required.

Following the rejection of Sarkar’s candidature, BJP ally Dipak Kumar Das and two Independent candidates remain in the fray for the Sorbhog seat, which was earlier seen as a direct contest involving the Congress.

Polling for the 126-member Assam Assembly is scheduled for April 9, with counting of votes set for May 4.