Himachal contractor alleges fraud by former MLA Chaitanya Sharma

A contractor here has accused former MLA from Gagret Chaitanya Sharma and two others of cheating him of Rs 8 lakh under the pretext of securing work in the Public Works Department, police said on Tuesday.

In his complaint, contractor Surendra Kumar Bhola, from Bhadrakali village of the district, said in January 2024, he met then Gagret MLA Chaitanya Sharma at his residence, seeking help to obtain Public Works Department (PWD) contracts. He said the MLA directed him to meet his associates Mahesh Yadav and Harshit Tiwari in this regard and said that he would tell them to do the needful.

According to Bhola, as per the instructions of Sharma, on February 1, 2024, he went to the MLA's residence in the morning and met Yadav and Tiwari. He alleged that they demanded Rs 8 lakh to get the work done — Rs 6 lakh to be deposited in a specified account and Rs 2 lakh to be paid in cash. The contractor said he transferred Rs 6 lakh to an SBI account through Canara Bank's Daulatpur Chowk branch and handed over Rs 2 lakh in cash to Yadav and Tiwari on the same day.

Bhola further alleged that despite giving the money, he was neither given any contract in the PWD nor was the money refunded.

Responding to the allegations, Sharma denied any involvement, calling it a political conspiracy against him.

“Neither was I given any money nor was any money deposited in any of my accounts. If someone has taken money, then action should be taken against them as per the law. This is a conspiracy against me, but I will fight against it,” he said.

Sharma added that he would file a defamation case against those making baseless accusations and urged the police to thoroughly investigate the matter before registering a case.

Chaitanya Sharma was among the nine MLAs, including six Congress rebels and three Independents, who voted in the favour of BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha poll held in February this year.

Later, he and others joined the BJP and contested the byelections but was defeated.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Vasudha Sood, the matter is being investigated.