Election Petition Dismissed Over Missing Mandatory Affidavit: Himachal Pradesh High Court

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has held that an election petition alleging corrupt practices must be accompanied by an affidavit in Form 25, as required under Rule 94-A of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961.

Justice Ajay Mohan Goel dismissed a petition filed by Congress leader Shri Ram Lal Thakur against BJP’s Shri Randhir Sharma, noting the absence of the mandatory affidavit and failure to disclose the source of allegations.

The petition had raised issues over vote counting, postal ballots, and corrupt practices, but the court ruled it non-maintainable due to procedural lapses.