A Petition challenging the election of Varun Gandhi, BJP parliamentarian from Pilibhit, was filed in the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday.

The petition, filed by Pilibhit Congress candidate V M Singh, sought to cancel Gan-dhi’s election on the ground that he had violated Section 123 (3) of the Representation of the People Act and the election code of conduct.

“My client has moved court on the ground that Varun Gandhi had tried to seek votes by spreading hatred against members of a particular community,” said Ravi Shankar Prashad, Singh’s Counsel. He added that senior Counsel U N Sharma would argue the case after the court nominates a Bench. The case is likely to come up for hearing on Monday.

“The petition also alleged that the date and time mentioned in the nomination papers filed by Gandhi coincided with a rally he had addressed in Bareilly. This amounts to providing false information in the affidavit,” said Sharma.

Asked about the reason behind filing such a petition,

V M Singh said: “I have filed the petition so that it acts as a deterrent for those who wish to indulge in creating communal divide in the future.”

“Varun had lied. He had submitted an affidavit saying his voice was doctored. The Hindu voters did not actually vote for Varun, instead they voted against the Muslims. He has a dual personality and such people should be exposed,” he added. Varun should be debarred from contesting elections for six years just like Bal Thackeray was in 1999, Singh added.