CBI launches fresh raids over Jharkhand poll rigging bid

The Central Bureau of Investigation today searched the premises of at least 15 Jharkhand legislators in its continuing probe into the corruption and horse trading allegations that led to the Election Commission countermanding the 30 March elections for the two Rajya Sabha seats that the state controls.

The raids started early this morning. According to the most recent reports, as many as 36 CBI teams were involved in the searches, which covered at least 36 premises across and outside the state. Raids are also being conducted in government hostels that are used by MLAs.

The MLAs whose premises were searched seem to cover the entire political spectrum, including the ruling Jarkhand Mukti Morcha, the Congress which leads the union government, Laloo Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal, and the AJSU.

Among those whose residences were raided are BJD MLA Sanjay Yadav and former Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Ajay Maru. A former member of parliament and his brother were also in the CBI dragnet, according to reports.

Apart from documents, the CBI is said to have seized several crores of rupees of unaccounted cash from the residences of the raided parties.

On 21 April, the CBI had raided the premises of three MLAs Vishnu Bhaiyya (JMM), K N Tripathy (Congress) and Suresh Paswan (RJD), as well as and independent Rajya Sabha candidate and R K Agarwal, a wealthy industrialist.