Rajasthan MLA arrested for taking Rs 20 lakh bribe to drop questions in Assembly
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Rajasthan Police on Sunday arrested Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) MLA Jaikrishn Patel while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 20 lakh at his official residence in Jaipur. The arrest was made after a trap was laid by the ACB, following a complaint by a mine owner from Todabhim block in Karauli district.
Patel had allegedly demanded Rs 2 crore from the complainant in exchange for withdrawing three questions related to mining leases in the Todabhim area, which had been submitted for the previous session of the Rajasthan Assembly. Of these, two were starred questions, requiring oral answers from the minister concerned, and one was unstarred.
Patel, who was elected from Bagidora constituency in Banswara district during the bypoll held in April 2024, had come under ACB’s scanner since April 4, following the mine owner’s complaint. According to ACB Director-General Ravi Prakash Meharda, the deal was finalised at Rs 2 crore, with the bribe to be paid in instalments. The complainant had earlier paid Rs 1 lakh to Patel in Banswara.
The ACB conducted the trap operation after obtaining prior permission from Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani and Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. The complainant visited Patel’s residence on Sunday to hand over the second instalment of Rs 20 lakh, during which the ACB team apprehended him red-handed.
In a dramatic turn during the operation, one of Patel’s aides reportedly fled with the bribe money upon sensing the presence of ACB officers. While the cash could not be recovered, DG Meharda stated that there is strong evidence of the MLA having accepted the money, including a colour test conducted on Patel’s fingers and an audio-visual recording of the exchange.
The legislator has been taken to the ACB headquarters at Jhalana Doongri in Jaipur for interrogation. Investigators are probing his involvement in mining-related matters in Todabhim, an area outside his constituency.
Notably, Patel took oath as an MLA just 11 months ago after winning the Bagidora byelection with the Congress’s support. The byelection was necessitated after then-MLA Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya resigned from Congress and joined the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Reacting to the arrest, BAP MP from Banswara, Rajkumar Roat, suggested Patel might be a victim of political conspiracy, but assured that appropriate action would follow if guilt was established. “There have been conspiracies in Rajasthan to target political parties that challenge dominant forces,” Roat said.
Formed in 2023 after breaking away from the Gujarat-based Bharatiya Tribal Party, the BAP has four MLAs in the Rajasthan Assembly. The party has been steadily gaining ground by advocating tribal rights, including a separate state for the Bhil community and 75% reservation for tribals in education and employment.
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