Apart from his heavyweight rivals, the Aam Aadmi Party’s Chandni Chowk candidate, Ashutosh, is facing an intriguing challenge from an independent namesake.
Ashutosh Mudgil, the independent candidate, is in the fray from the high-profile constituency from where the BJP’s Harsh Vardhan and the Congress’ Kapil Sibal are in the fray.
Terming it a BJP conspiracy, Ashutosh said the party had resorted to such practices due to the fear of losing the elections. In a similar fight in West Delhi parliamentary constituency, three candidates with the name Jarnail Singh are contesting. One of them is an AAP nominee.
“This is not a coincidence. It is a planned strategy of the BJP. The fear of losing these elections are making them take such steps. They just want to confuse the voters. But I am sure that I will win the elections and that too by a huge margin,” said AAP candidate Ashutosh.
After the assembly elections, the AAP had alleged that a number of independent candidates were allotted the symbol of a lit torch that resembled the AAP’s symbol, broom, on the EVMs to confuse the voters. “Due to this. a number of our candidates lost by a narrow margin and at several places the independents with the torch symbol garnered more votes than the winning margin,” said an AAP spokesperson.
Mudgil, a resident of West Delhi’s Madipur, did not give specific answers on his candidature. “I am contesting for the first time and cannot tell you more than that,” he said. When asked about allegations that he was contesting to divide votes of AAP’s Ashutosh, he refused a response.
{{/usCountry}}Mudgil, a resident of West Delhi’s Madipur, did not give specific answers on his candidature. “I am contesting for the first time and cannot tell you more than that,” he said. When asked about allegations that he was contesting to divide votes of AAP’s Ashutosh, he refused a response.
{{/usCountry}}Vardhan rubbished the allegations and said that BJP would never resort to such cheap tricks. “I’m not even aware that an independent candidate by the name of Ashutosh is contesting from there,” said Vardhan.