Jaswant, Govinda, Mulayam & now Azmi

MUMBAI: If Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav can do it, then can the party���s Mumbai unit chief Abu Asim Azmi be far behind? Azmi is at the centre of a raging controversy following allegations of cash distribution at an election rally on Monday.

Taking note of the complaint, the Election Commission has ordered a probe into the matter. Mr Azmi, always in news for all the wrong reasons, on Monday filed his nomination papers for Mumbai North West constituency as an SP candidate. He will take on Shiv Sena���s Gajanan Kirtikar. On way to the collector���s office to file nomination papers in a procession, Mr Azmi���s brother Shahed was reportedly caught on camera showering wads of currency notes among party workers.

The word soon spread like wild fire about Mr Azmi���s alleged generosity. The development forced the EC to quickly step in. ���We have asked Maharashtra���s chief electoral officer to send a report,��� deputy election commissioner JP Prakash told reporters in Delhi while responding to the development. ���We are checking the veracity of the reports that Azmi supporters were distributing money during the procession.

Action will be taken once we receive the report,��� an election official said here in Mumbai. On his part, Mr Azmi denied any wrong-doing, saying the ���question of distributing money does not arise. I don���t think such a thing has happened���. The development comes in the wake of a series of such incidents in the recent past. First to get caught was Mr Azmi���s boss Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Actor-turned-politician Govinda, too, was filmed distributing money. Even BJP���s Jaswant Singh was in EC line of fire for allegedly giving money to people at an election. The EC is trying to ascertain facts in all these cases.
None of the accused, however, have been booked so far.