Kerala man files vice presidential nomination, forging signatures of MPs
What's the story
A case of forgery has emerged in the vice presidential election nomination process, which was closed on August 21. Joemon Joseph, a candidate from Kerala, allegedly submitted his nomination papers with forged signatures of 22 MPs from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The names and signatures of these MPs were used as proposers and seconders without their consent or knowledge.
MPs' response
MPs taken aback by forgeries
The forgery was discovered when the election office contacted the MPs to confirm their support for Joseph's candidature. Many were taken aback and said they had never heard of Joseph or signed any nomination papers in his favor. Among those whose names were forged are Raghav Chadha, Sanjay Singh, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Swati Maliwal, Asaduddin Owaisi, Sasmit Patra, and Mithun Reddy, who is currently in jail.
Nomination review
Only 2 nominations valid after scrutiny
The election scrutiny process revealed that out of 68 nominations filed by 46 candidates, 28 were rejected at the initial stage. The remaining nominations of 27 candidates were further scrutinized, with only two found valid: CP Radhakrishnan and B Sudarshan Reddy. Both had submitted four nomination papers each for the upcoming vice presidential election on September 9.
Election details
VP election to be held on September 9
The ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) fielded Radhakrishnan, long associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, while Reddy is backed by the opposition INDIA bloc. The voting will be held on September 9, with results to be declared the same day. The position of vice president fell vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar stepped down on July 21, citing health concerns.