Assembly sends disqualification notice to MLA Alka Lamba

Lamba was with Congress before joining AAP six years ago. Ex-AAP MLAs Kapil Mishra, Sandeep Kumar, Anil Bajpai and Devendra Sehrawat have been disqualified under anti-defection law.

A petition to disqualify former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Alka Lamba as the MLA of the Chandni Chowk constituency was filed by party leader Saurabh Bhardwaj in the Delhi Assembly on Wednesday. Lamba had officially resigned from the membership of the AAP and joined the Congress on September 6.

Chandni Chowk MLA Alka Lamba will be the fifth AAP leader facing disqualification from the Delhi Assembly. (Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

Following Bhardwaj’s petition, the Delhi Assembly on Wednesday evening sent a notice to Lamba seeking her comments. According to the notice issued by Assembly secretary C Velmurugan, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel has also directed a personal hearing in the matter which will be held at 4pm on September 18 in his chamber.

Lamba was not available for a response despite calls and text messages.

“The Speaker has examined the petition and has directed that your comments on the content of the petition be sought. As directed by the Speaker, you are requested to submit your written comments on the enclosed petition on or before 3 pm of September 18 to the undersigned positively,” the notice stated.

Lamba will be the fifth AAP leader facing disqualification from the Delhi Assembly. Former AAP MLAs Kapil Mishra, Sandeep Kumar, Anil Bajpai and Devendra Sehrawat have been disqualified under the anti-defection law.

While joining the Congress last week, Lamba had said, “I may have been far from Congress but I have stood by its ideology for the past 25 years. Today is my ‘Ghar-Wapsi’, I thank Sonia and Rahul Gandhiji, and assure them that I will work like a dedicated worker to strengthen the party in Delhi and the country.”

Lamba was with the Congress party before joining the AAP  six years ago.

Even if Lamba is disqualified as an MLA, a by-election for the Chandni Chowk seat is unlikely as assembly elections in Delhi are scheduled early next year.