Jharkhand Rajya Sabha polls: Rs 2.25 crore seized from car

New Delhi: The Income Tax Department seized nearly Rs 2.25 crore from a car from the outskirts of Ranchi on Friday. The car reportedly belongs to a relative of Independent Rajya Sabha candidate, RK Agarwal.

"The car carrying over Rs two crore was seized near Namkum. The owner of the car is said to be from a sponge iron factory in Jamshedpur," Senior Superintendent of Police Saket Kumar Singh said.

The car was seized during a joint operation by the police and IT sleuths.

The car reportedly belongs to the relative of Independent Rajya Sabha candidate, RK Agarwal.

Asked whether there were any names of important persons found in the car, Singh said investigations were on.

The seizure comes even as Jharkhand gets set to conduct its Rajya Sabha polls amid allegations of horsetrading by Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) chief Babulal Marandi.

The election also comes at a time when the rift within the the ruling BJP-JMM-Ajsu alliance is said to be widening.

The parties are seemingly divided over whose nominee to back.

Marandi, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Kodarma in Jharkhand, had written a letter to the Election Commission on March 26 stating that there could be horse trading in Jharkhand where polling will be held.

The move came in the wake of a controversy fuelled by a London-based businessman Anshuman Mishra entering the fray with six BJP MLAs proposing his candidature.

When some of the BJP top leaders vehemently objected, saying it had not put up any candidate and directed its 18 MLAs in Jharkhand to abstain from voting, Mishra withdrew his nomination.

In its reply, the Election Commission informed Marandi that it had taken cognisance of the apprehensions and was taking appropriate steps to quell such possibilities.

The Election Commission, that called in a meeting at 11 am to discuss the polls, sought a report from the chief electoral officer in Jharkhand.

(With additional information from PTI)

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