Lok Sabha elections 2019: Poll office rejects AAP’s plaint against BJP’s Gambhir

Atishi has sought Gambhir’s disqualification for having two voter identity cards from Rajender Nagar and Karol Bagh constituencies.

The returning officer for the East Delhi parliamentary constituency on Sunday rejected a complaint against BJP candidate Gautam Gambhir by his AAP rival, Atishi, that the former cricketer had held a campaign rally without permission. K Mahesh, returning officer, said permission had been granted to the BJP candidate for holding road show in several parts of east Delhi, including Dilshad Garden — the area mentioned in the AAP complaint.

Gambhir said Atishi “is engaging in negative politics”.(Ht Photo)

In her complaint, Atishi had urged the election officials to file an FIR against Gambhir and bar him from campaigning for 72 hours.

Gambhir said Atishi “is engaging in negative politics”. “When you have no vision for the people or nothing else to talk about, you make allegations like these. The Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi has done nothing which is why it is hiding on the garb of full statehood,” he said.

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He said he believed in “positive politics” and would campaign with a vision to make east Delhi one of the best Lok Sabha constituencies in Delhi. “I would rather avoid indulging in such blame game with my opponents,” Gambhir said.

Having sent the complaint to the election officials, Atishi said on Sunday, “In over three days, Gambhir has violated the model code of conduct twice. First, it was his rally at Jangpura on April 25, in which the east Delhi electoral officer directed the Delhi Police to register an FIR. Today, the BJP candidate held another rally without permission at J&K Block in Dilshad Garden. I hope the election commission takes action.”

It was the fourth time that Atishi had complained against Gambhir. Besides complaining twice about Gambhir holding rallies without permission, Atishi had also objected to his nomination papers. However, her objection was rejected by the returning officer.

The AAP candidate had also filed a criminal complaint against Gambhir for allegedly enrolling as a voter in more than one constituency in violation the The Representation of the People Act, 1951. Atishi has sought Gambhir’s disqualification for having two voter identity cards from Rajender Nagar and Karol Bagh constituencies.

Gambhir has clarified that he has only one voter ID card from Rajender Nagar. The BJP had also rebutted the allegation, saying Gambhir had already filled Form-6 to get his assembly constituency changed after he moved to a new address. “If the election commission has not updated its records, it is not Gambhir’s fault,” a spokesperson for the Delhi unit of the BJP said on Friday.

Congress has fielded former Delhi minister Arvinder Singh Lovely from the seat, who said Gambhir is facing such controversies because he is a “parachuted candidate”. “Gambhir is so naïve and doesn’t even know how many and from where all he has voter ID cards. How will he run or deliver as an MP from east Delhi constituency? I am trying to tell people that they should rather vote for a person who has worked at the grassroots level,” he said.