Congress Questions Age and Educational Qualification Information of BJP Candidate Hasirani Rath

The Congress has questioned the age and educational qualification information in the election affidavit of Hasirani Rath, the BJP candidate in the Nandigram assembly by-election. The state Congress has demanded a thorough and fair probe into the matter from the Election Commission. The BJP has rejected the allegations, calling it a failed attempt by the Congress. State Congress president Subhankar Sarkar said on Tuesday that the affidavit mentions Hasirani's age as 60 years, while the year of passing the secondary examination is 1965. The Congress has demanded an investigation into the relevant documents, claiming that the two information do not match. The Congress has also questioned the naming of Chowkhali Ganga Padma Milan Kanya Vidyapeeth for passing the secondary examination. The party has sought information on the recognition of Class X in the school and the arrangement to sit for the secondary examination at that time. The BJP has rejected the Congress's allegations and said that there has been a printing error in recording the year in the affidavit. According to the party, Hasirani was studying in Class X in 1980. The BJP has also recorded her date of birth certificate as June 8.