Forgery charge on Pranab: BJP petitions EC

Not willing to let go off the issue, the BJP on Monday formally approached the Election Commission of India claiming that UPA Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee’s resignation from the Indian Statistical Institute was forged.

Zeenews Bureau

New Delhi: Not willing to let go off the issue, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday formally approached the Election Commission of India claiming that UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee’s resignation from the Indian Statistical Institute was forged.

In the petition, the BJP has claimed that the two signatures were examined by a forensic expert, who found the one in letter in which Pranab resigned as fabricated. The two signatures were from different persons, the BJP petition said quoting the forensic expert.

The BJP has claimed that Mukherjee had not quit the post of ISI chairman before filing his nomination for Presidential polls, hence he should be disqualified since the post was an "office of profit", which was a disqualification if the candidate held the post at the time of filing nominations.

The Congress party and Mukherjee have rubbished the claims. He said: “Who had forged my signature? I myself? Who can forge his own signature? The Returning Officer has responded to that.”

The Presidential poll is scheduled to be held on July 19.

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