New Delhi: In a major development, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday conducted fresh raids on the residences of at least 15 MLAs in connection with the corruption and horse-trading allegations that marred the March 30 Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand. According to reports, various teams of the CBI are conducting raids at nearly 32 places. Among those whose residence have been raided are RJD MLA Sanjay Yadav and former BJP MLA Ajay Maru. Sanjay Yadav’s residence in Godda and Banka have been raided. In the process, the central probe agency is believed to have seized several documents and crores of unaccounted money from the residences of these MLAs. Today’s raids are part of the CBI’s ongoing probe into the horse-trading allegations that marred the March 30 Rajya Sabha elections here. The CBI had earlier raided the residence of Congress MLA KN Tripathy to make headway in connection with the case. CBI sealed Tripathy's residence after its sleuths searched the MLA's residence at Medininagar in Palamau district in his presence and seized a laptop and bank accounts.He was accused of showing his ballot paper openly before casting it. Ahead of that the probe agency had also searched the premises of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MLA Vishnu Bhaiyya and RJD MLA Suresh Paswan in Jamtara and Deogarh, respectively. While Paswan was accused of not abiding party line to vote for Congress candidate Pradeep Kumar Balmachu, Bhaiyya was accused of openly displaying his ballot paper before slipping it into the box.
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