BJP Candidate Rajendra Rana Raises Allegations Regarding Water Project

Former legislator and BJP candidate Rajendra Rana, contesting the by-election from Sujanpur, claimed that a firm was issued an advance of 100 crore rupees for a water project in the Shimla Municipal Corporation a day before the announcement of elections. The Election Commission had issued a press note on March 15 stating that the election dates would be announced on March 16. However, in a rush, such a large amount was released to the company on March 15, raising suspicions.

He said that discussions about kickbacks worth 10 crore rupees are ongoing in the market for releasing an advance of 100 crore rupees to a firm for a project approved through ADB. In this situation, Chief Minister Sukhdev should clarify the matter because this is a direct matter of investigation by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Rana said that tenders were invited three times for the above water project. Only one party applied each time. The department minister clearly wrote on the file that only one firm cannot be given the work. Ignoring the department minister’s comment, the matter was brought to the Cabinet and not only was the project allocated to the company but also given the advance.