Ranchi, Oct 26 (IANS): A major controversy has erupted over remarks made by Jharkhand Minister and Congress candidate from Jamtara, Irfan Ansari.

Both the BJP and the Congress have lodged complaints with the Election Commission, with the BJP accusing Ansari of using derogatory language against Sita Soren, the party's candidate from Jamtara.

The Congress, in turn, has accused the BJP of distorting Ansari's statements.

On October 24, after filing his nomination papers, Ansari allegedly made disparaging comments about BJP candidate Sita Soren, referring to her as a "borrowed player" and "rejected…" and suggesting that the BJP "hijacks" such candidates. When the video of his statement went viral, Sita Soren demanded an apology, accusing Ansari of crossing all limits with his language.

She said: "Candidate Irfan Ansari will have to apologise for the indecent language he used for me in front of the media immediately after nomination. Earlier also, he had made personal remarks about me, but this time he has crossed all limits."

BJP leaders, including state president and former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi condemned Ansari's remarks, further intensifying the controversy.

After the row escalated, in response, Ansari claimed that his words were misrepresented, alleging that his video was edited to portray a misleading narrative.

"An edited video has been circulated among the people. In the original video, I did not even take the name of Sita Soren. The video has been cropped and presented to spread lies against me. This is BJP's machination. After she joined BJP, she stooped to this level just to mislead the people of Jamtara and tarnish my reputation."

Ansari has threatened to file a defamation suit of Rs 100 crore against the BJP and Sita Soren.

The BJP, led by Sudhir Srivastava, filed a formal complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer in Ranchi on Saturday, demanding Ansari’s expulsion from the state until the assembly elections, the cancellation of his nomination, and the registration of a criminal case.

Soon after, a Congress delegation, led by Kishore Nath Shahdev, Rajesh Gupta, and Imran Ansari, also submitted a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer, accusing the BJP of defamation and requesting suitable action.