Election Commission sends notice to Arvind Kejriwal for bribe remark

The Election Commission on Tuesday again issued a notice to Aam Aadmi Party chief and its Delhi chief ministerial candidate Arvind Kejriwal for asking voters to accept bribe from the BJP as well as Congress and vote only for his party in the upcoming assembly elections.

The Election Commission on Tuesday issued another notice to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and its Delhi chief ministerial candidate Arvind Kejriwal for asking voters to accept bribe from the BJP as well as Congress and vote only for his party in the upcoming assembly elections.

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Terming it a prima facie violation of the model code of conduct, the EC asked Kejriwal to submit his reply by Thursday saying it has received complaints against him for instigating people to take bribe to vote.

Taking bribe for voting is an offence and the commission can instruct the authorities to book a voter. The EC can also initiate action against a leader for proposing that voters take money to vote.

"If anyone come forward go give you money, go to their offices and ask them to give it to you in their office… Accept the money from both, but vote only for the broom (AAP's election symbol)," he had said.

Both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party had complained against Kejriwal for his remark on January 18 at a rally in west Delhi's Uttam Nagar.

The EC in its notice to Kejriwal said he had violated the code that prescribes that the candidates should scrupulously avoid all activities which are corrupt practices and offences under the election law such as bribing of voters.

"Your statement amount to abetting and promoting electoral offence of bribery within the meaning of the Representation of People's Act and the Indian Penal Code," the EC notice said.

This is the second notice from the EC to Kejriwal, who has been asked by the poll watchdog to reply to the first one by Tuesday.

Kejriwal has been asked to explain his accusation against state BJP chief Satish Upadhayay, who the AAP leader said was benefitting from fast running electricity meters in Delhi which were supplied by his firm to one of the distribution companies.