New Delhi, Jan 26: India TV tonight telecast a series of stings involving eleven UP assembly candidates openly seeking black money to fund their poll campaigns. The amounts ranged from Rs 1 crore to Rs 4 crore.
Most of these candidates are from western UP and belong to almost all major parties across the spectrum.
India TV undercover reporters Jamshed Khan and Sushant Pathak posing as representatives of corporates, invited these 12 candidates individually to cofee shops and restaurants in Delhi and caught them on camera openly asking for black money for their election expenses.
In lieu of 'corporate funding', the candidates openly said on camera that they were willing (1) to ask questions, raise issues in UP assembly to help the corporates (2) to help the corporates in setting up industries on a fast-track route, and (3) to help the corporates in cornering contracts.
One candidate even offered to use money power for booth capturing in his constituency.
Those exposed in the series of stings included (1) J P Singh, JD-U candidate from Kundarki near Moradabad, (2) Shah Nawaz Rana, RLD candidate from Bijnore town, (3) Syed Zaki Ashrafi, Congress candidate from Pilibhit Sadar, (4) Chaudhary Ayub Jang, SP candidate from Kairana, Prabuddha Nagar, (5) Kiranpal Kashyap, SP candidate from Thana Bhavan, Prabuddha Nagar, (6) Nahid Hasan, BSP candidate from Gangoh, Saharanpur, (7) Narendra Sisodia, got BJP ticket from Modinagar, but ticket was cancelled, now in search of a party ticket, (8) Sukh Lal, Congress candidate from Barkheda, Pilibhit, (9) BJP MLA Harpal Singh from Dhanaura, JP Nagar, (10) Salim Ansari, Peace Party candidate from Shamli, Prabuddha Nagar, and (11) Virendra Singh Chauhan, former minister and SP candidate from Shamli, Prabuddha Nagar.
Sting Number 1: Seven times MLA and former animal husbandry minister Virendra Singh Chauhan, contesting from Shamli on SP ticket this time, met the undercover India TV reporters at a coffee house in Khan Market on Dec 8. He straightaway came to the point and wanted Rs 1 crore, and said he had already incurred a 'loan' of rs 30 lakhs in the last elections. He offered to work in favour of the undercover reporters' corporate.
Sting Number 2: Salim Ansari, Peace Party candidate from Shamli met the undercover reporters on November 30 in a cafe at a five-star hotel on Sardar Patel Marg. He too wanted Rs 1 crore from the reporters, offered to make a group of 10-12 MLAs if elected, and work in favour of the 'corporate'. He said on camera that MLAs and MPs were 'saleable'.
Sting Number 3: Harpal Singh, BJP candidate from Dhanaura, JP Nagar met the undercover reporters on Jan 20 at a Khan Market cafe. He demanded Rs 1.5 crore from the 'corporate', offered to work for enlisting support of other MLAs for the 'corporate', and bragged that he had beaten up 25 police officers so far.
Sting Number 4: Sukh Lal, Congress candidate from Barkhera, Pilibhit met the undercover reporters on December 13 at a five-star restaurant on Sardar Patel Marg. He wanted Rs 75 lakh on camera and offered to work for the 'corporate'. He said, he spent Rs 50-60 lakhs in the last polls. He revealed his party gave him Rs 15 lakhs last time, but showed the amount as Rs 2.5 lakh on paper in order to stick to model code of conduct.
Sting Number 5: Narendra Sisodia, three-times MLA, got BJP ticket from Modinagar, but ticket was withdrawn. Trying for another party's ticket. He met India TV undercover reporters on Dec 2 at a Daryaganj coffee shop. This person gave a letter in writing on his letterpad seeking Rs 1.5 crore. He also offered to work for the 'corporate' if elected by raising issues, questions, and even agreed to arrange fake encounters if the corporate wished.
Sting Number 6: Nahid Hasan, BSP candidate from Gangoh, Saharanpur, and son of BSP MP Tabassum Hasan. He met India TV undercover reporters in a Khan Market cafe on Jan 10, only after one of his associates Mansoor came and met the reporters, and later called in Nahid and another associate Waseem. Nahid's associate wanted Rs 2.5 crore to work for the 'corporate'.
Sting Number 7: Kiranpal Kashyap, SP candidate from Thana Bhavan, Prabuddha Nagar and a former minister. He met India TV undercover reporters in the Khan Market cafe on Dec 24. He said he has already spent Rs 80-90 lakhs in the last several months and wanted upto Rs 4 crore in lieu of extending support to the 'corporate' if elected.
Sting Number 8: Chaudhary Ayub Jang, SP candidate from Kairana. He met India TV undercover reporters at the five-star restaurant on Sardar Patel Marg on Dec 8. He wanted Rs 1-1.5 crore from the 'corporate' and promised to create a lobby for the corporate inside the assembly if elected.
Sting Number 9: Syed Zaqi Ashrafi, Congress candidate from Pilibhit Sadar. He met India TV undercover reporters and wanted Rs 2.5 crore from the 'corporate'. He said, his total budget was Rs 3.5 crore, out of which he would spend Rs 1 crore from his own resources. He revealed he had fielded three independents, and had been using 40-50 vehicles from the 'quota' of these independents for his own use.
Sting Number 10: Shah Nawaz Rana, RLD candidate from Bijnore. He met India TV undercover reporters on Dec 11 at the Khan Market cafe. He said, he contested elections only to win, and had spent Rs 27 crore on electing a district panchayat chief. He explained his plan in detail about capturing election booths.
Sting Number 11: J. P. Singh, JD-U candidate from Kundarki, Moradabad and two times MLA, met India TV undercover reporters on Dec 4 and Jan 9 at the Khan Market cafe. He wanted Rs 50 lakhs from the 'corporate' and promised to work for the 'corporate' if elected.
