The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has demanded cancellation of candidature of former Arvind Kejriwal confidante and party leader, Kapil Mishra, who turned rebel and has now been fielded by the BJP from Model Town for the February 8 Delhi Assembly Elections. said news agency ANI.
The ruling party has written to the Delhi Chief Election Officer, alleging ‘wrongful’ acceptance of Mishra’s nomination forms. Mishra submitted his nomination on Tuesday with much fanfare.
A letter signed by AAP’s national secretary, Pankaj Gupta claims that the returning officer has accepted Mishra’s nomination forms despite the absence of the mandatory “No-Dues” certificate pertaining to electricity,water and telephone expenses incurred during stay at a government accommodation.
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AAP’s letter posted by the news agency claims Mishra has been staying in a government accommodation for the last 10 years and must furnish the certificate as per the guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India.
There is no official word on the dispute yet from the election commission, which had set Wednesday aside for the scrutiny of nominations.
Before filing his nomination, Mishra took out a roadshow attended by BJP heavyweight, Chandni Chowk MP and Union minister Harsh Vardhan.
There is no love lost between Mishra and his former political outfit, the AAP, since Mishra’s bitter ouster from the party.
Mishra has promised to win Model Town seat for the BJP. AAP’s Akhilesh Pati Tripathi is the two-time sitting MLA from the north Delhi constituency and has been fielded again from the seat. Tripathi had defeated BJP’s Vivek Garg by over 16,000 votes in the 2015 electoral contest and Ashok Goyal, again from the BJP, in 2013 by around 8,000 votes. Congress candidate was pushed to the third spot.
With Mishra’s entry into the fray, Model Town is likely to be one of the most hotly contested seats.
{{/usCountry}}With Mishra’s entry into the fray, Model Town is likely to be one of the most hotly contested seats.
{{/usCountry}}Candidates can withdraw their nomination until Friday, January 24.
While Kejriwal led AAP is relying on its social welfare and developmental schemes to retain power by repeating its performance in the last assembly polls held in 2015, the BJP is banking on the central welfare schemes and the stellar showing on all the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital last year to upstage Kejriwal’s party.
The saffron party has said it will contest the polls under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.