In three years, Trivendra Rawat gets old by zero years, says plea with poll panel

Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat is in trouble after a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader moved the Election Commission alleging that he had filed identical age in two poll affidavits.

In his petition to the Election Commission, Raghunath Negi has alleged that the chief minister in the poll affidavit filed earlier this year mentioned 54 years as his age. Rawat showed the same age in his papers when he contested the by-election in 2014.

The chief minister is a legislator from Doiwala constituency in Dehradun district. He had lost the by-election in 2014 from the same seat.

“How is this possible that the chief minister’s age has remained the same even after three years?” Negi told HT after holding a press conference here on Wednesday. The former BJP leader, who enjoyed ministerial status during Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank’s rule, said he had moved the poll body on October 30 and submitted his plea.

“This (showing identical age) is a criminal offence and I have sought action as per the rules in a follow up meeting with the EC director general on November 6. BJP in-charge for Uttarakhand (Shyam Jaju) was present at the meeting,” he added.

The BJP and the chief minister’s office played down the allegations. BJP state president Ajay Bhatt said Rawat has a long parliamentary experience. It is unlikely that Rawat had made a “silly” mistake, he added.

“It seems some people are hatching conspiracy against the CM. Usually election affidavits are prepared by the legal team of the candidate. The date of birth is also clearly mentioned and I don’t think anyone will mention his wrong age,” Bhatt told HT.