In a significant legal move, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been lodged with the Allahabad High Court, calling for the disqualification of all 99 Members of Parliament from the Congress party. The PIL claims that the party’s ‘Ghar Ghar Guarantee Scheme,’ unveiled during the Lok Sabha elections, constitutes bribery, a breach of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951.
Filed by Bharti Devi of Fatehpur district, the petition accuses the Congress of continuing the distribution of ‘guarantee cards’—which allegedly promise financial and other material benefits in return for votes—even after the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued an advisory on May 2, warning against such practices. The PIL asserts that these actions infringe on the fairness of the electoral process, making all 99 MPs who benefited from the scheme eligible for disqualification.
Moreover, the petitioner criticizes the ECI’s inaction in handling the alleged violations and has sought judicial directives to potentially suspend or withdraw Congress’s recognition as a political party under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968. Additionally, there are calls for criminal proceedings against the involved MPs for their alleged role in this scheme.