CPI (M) state secretary Jitendra Chowdhury has strongly reacted over the acceptance of the nomination paper of CPI (M) MLA and BJP candidate Mabashar Ali from 53-Kailashahar assembly constituency by the Returning Officer (RO) of the constituency.

Chowdhury on Wednesday replied through a letter to the RO over acceptance of nomination of Md. Mabashar Ali in 53-Kailashahar constituency as BJP candidate and said that the RO have justified acceptance of his nomination as BJP candidate only on the basis of the signatures in Form ‘A’ and Form ‘B’ of symbol allotment of Md. Ali as BJP candidates were duly put.   And there was no verbal or written objection from any other candidates during the process of scrutiny.

Chowdhury said that “I admit, being an RO, you are the sole authority to decide the validity of nomination.  But the excuses made by you in favour of your decision to accept him as BJP candidate are most unfortunate because while accepting nomination of a sitting MLA, you did not clarify why you ignore the legal status of party membership of Md. Ali, which is a statutory legal requirement of a candidate sponsored by any party that I mentioned in yesterday's letter.”

Earlier the Returning Officer (RO) of Kailasahar had justified holding the nomination of Mabashar Ali as valid by citing relevant rules of the representation of peoples act and also on the fact that no objection had been made by the CPI (M) representatives at the time of scrutiny on January 31st.