(1)No election or [nomination] [Substituted by M.P. Act No. 12 of 1995.] under this Act shall be called into question except by a petition presented in accordance with the provisions of this section.(2)Such petition may be presented on one or more of the grounds specified in Section 22 :(a)by any candidate at such election or [nomination] [Substituted by M.P. Act No. 12 of 1995.]; or(b)(i)in the case of an election of a Councillor, by any voter of the ward concerned;(ii)in the case of a [nomination] [Substituted by M.P. Act No. 17 of 1994.] of Councillor, by any Councillor;(iii)[ in the case of election of President by any voter of the Municipal area,] [Inserted by M.P. Act No. 18 of 1997.]to the District Judge, where such election or [nomination] [Substituted by M.P. Act No. 12 of 1995.] is held within the revenue district in which the Court of the District Judge is situate, and in any other case, to the Additional District Judge having the permanent seat of his Court within the revenue district in which such election or [nomination] [Substituted by M.P. Act No. 12 of 1995.] is held and if there be more than one such Additional District Judge within the said revenue district, to such one of them as the District Judge may specify for the purpose (hereinafter such District Judge or Additional District Judge referred to as Judge).(3)No petition presented under sub-section (2) shall be admitted unless :(i)it is presented within thirty days from the date on which the result of such election or [nomination] [Substituted by M.P. Act No. 12 of 1995.] was notified in the Gazette; and(ii)it is accompanied by a Government Treasury receipt showing a deposit of two hundred rupees, in the case of [election or nomination to Municipal Councils] [Substituted by M.P. Act No. 17 of 1994.] and one hundred rupees in the case of [election or nomination to Nagar Panchayats] [Substituted by M.P. Act No. 17 of 1994.].(4)A petitioner shall join as respondents to his petition :(a)where the petitioner, in addition to claiming a declaration that the election or [nomination] [Substituted by M.P. Act No. 12 of 1995.], as the case may be, of all or any of the returned candidates is void, claims a further declaration that he himself or any other candidate has been duly elected or [nomination] [Substituted by M.P. Act No. 12 of 1995.], all the contesting candidates other than the petitioner, and where no such further declaration is claimed, all the returned candidates; and(b)any other candidate against whom allegations of any corrupt practice are made in the petition.(5)An election petition shall :(a)contain a concise statement of the material facts on which the petitioner relies;(b)set forth with sufficient particulars, the ground or grounds on which the election or [nomination] [Substituted by M.P. Act No. 12 of 1995.] called in question;(c)be signed by the petitioner and verified in the manner prescribed in the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (V of 1908), for the verification of pleadings.
