Abhishek Singhvi alleges betrayal after tie in HP seat election

NEW DELHI: Abhishek Singhvi may be used to winning the knottiest of legal cases but on Tuesday , what he thought was a ' win ' soon turned out to be a loss.As the candidate for the lone HP seat, he ended up in an unexpected tie with rival Harsh Mahajan, thanks to cross-voting by some MLAs, necessitating a draw of lots to decide the result. As luck, or rather ill-luck, would have it, Singhvi did win the draw of lots, only to get eliminated in a cruel twist of fate.The unusual way to pick a winner in the event of equal votes polled by candidates where only one RS seat is to be filled is thanks to Rule 75(4) of Conduct of Election Rules, 1961.As per the rule, where two or more candidates get same value of votes for a lone RS seat, the candidate with the lowest number of original votes, where this number is same for all, is to be excluded by a draw of lots."The RO puts slips with names of the candidates in a box, which is shaken before the slips are drawn. The candidate whose slip is drawn is eliminated/excluded, and whose slip remains in the box is declared winner," an EC functionary explained. "It is written in the stars and written by God. In a normal draw of lots, the name taken out wins. Under strange rule of EC the name taken out of the box, which was mine, loses... is excluded," Singhvi later said at a press conference.Singhvi said the nine MLAs who voted against him were with him and other party leaders even on Monday night, where they "supped and drank together". He said the experience of betrayal has taught him "about human character, its fickleness and resoluteness both".He lashed out at BJP's "new India" philosophy of winning elections at all costs, "more by crook, than by hook".

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