BJP had lodged a complaint with the EC in April against Ajit Jogi. BJP had lodged a complaint with the EC in April against Ajit Jogi.

Senior Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister was leading in Mahasamund seat over his nearest rival Chandu Lal Sahu of Bharatiya Janata Party by just 100 votes at 6.30 pm on Friday.

Such thin margins of victory or loss are not unheard of in polls.

But what's surprising is that the second runner-up, the third runner-up and even the fourth runner-un are all named Chandu Lal Sahu and are independents. While the second runner-up had garnered over 18,000 votes until then, the third runner-up had got over 10,000 votes.

That's not all. The constituency has 11 candidates named Chandu Lal Sahu.

The BJP had alleged that this was the handiwork of Jogi. The party had lodged a complaint with the Election Commission in April, demanding the rejection of nomination of all the other Chandu Lal Sahus. The party had also asked the Election Commission to investigate the matter and to cancel the nomination of Jogi if he was found guilty.

A grab of the Election Commissions website giving details of counting in Mahasamund seat in Chhattisgarh. There are a total of 11 persons named Chandu Lal Sahus in the list. A grab of the Election Commissions website giving details of counting in Mahasamund seat in Chhattisgarh. There are a total of 11 persons named Chandu Lal Sahus in the list.

State BJP leaders alleged that all the other 10 candidates filed the nomination on the same day and after the last day of withdrawal of nomination all of them went underground. They said the even the series of bank notes deposited with the authorities as election deposit was the same, giving credence to the allegation that it was a dirty poll trick to stump the BJP candidate.

The tale of 11 chandus The tale of 11 chandus

The trick did not help Jogi win in the end and he lost the election to the real Chandu Lal Sahu by a slender margin though.

It is not a stray incident.

In Mathura constituency of Uttar Pradesh, actor-turned-politician Hema Malini had alleged that there were three other Hema Malinis in the fray there. It was an apparent bid to mine into the genuine BJP candidate's votes. Not surprisingly, the second 'Hema Malini' also managed to get over ten thousand votes despite contesting as an independent, with no political background, indicating that the ploy of the opposition parties did work. Luckily, in Mathura the real Hema Malini won.



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