Aam Aadmi Party in Trouble: Election Commission Recommends Disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs

New Delhi, January 19: In a major setback to Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi, the Election Commission of India (EIC) has ordered the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to disqualify its 20 MLAs for holding 'office of profit'. The poll body has also sent a recommendation to President of India Ram Nath Kovind. Reacting to the allegations by the poll panel, AAP said that the MPs have done nothing wrong and rubbished ECs claims.

The Aam Aadmi Party has now approached Delhi High Court against Election Commission’s recommendation to disqualify their 20 MLAs in Office of Profit case.  The AAP party has claimed it to be a political vendetta. AAP leader  Ashutosh says Election Commission should not be the "letterbox of the PMO”. Meanwhile, BJP leader Manoj Tiwari welcomed EC’s decision and said that Delhi Cheif Minister  Arvind Kejriwal must resign.

In 2015 Assembly Elections, AAP swept the polls with a landslide victory claiming 67 seats, leaving only 3 seats for BJP  in the 70-member assembly. However, in 2017 bypolls, BJP's Manjinder Singh Sirsa won the Rajouri Garden seat, reducing AAP's seat to 66.

The disqualification of the AAP MLAs clearly states that the bypolls in Delhi will have to be held in the 20 seats which the MLAs represented. It can be termed as a mini-poll or a mid-term poll in Delhi.

The ruling AAP has a giant majority in the 70-member Delhi assembly with 66 seats and the disqualification will not endanger the Arvind Kejriwal government. To recall, the  AAP swept the Delhi elections in 2015. Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal had appointed 21 legislators as parliament secretaries.

Here’s the list of Current MLA’s of Delhi Assembly Elected During 2015 Elections:

Here's the list of 20 disqualified AAP MLAs:

The disqualification will lead to mid-term poll for the Delhi Assembly. Saurabh Bhardwaj, Aam Aadmi Party MLA said that there is no credible information on the allegations. "I want to ask if people from constituencies of these 21 MLAs have seen them utilising government facilities like car, house or salary.No hearing has been held before EC until now", he said. Meanwhile, BJP's Sambit Patra said the AAP came to throne promising to uproot corruption but they are biggest corrupt themselves.  He added saying, "Arvind Kejriwal rules in an autocratic way, he does what he likes. He has done injustice to Delhi, the city which gave him such a huge mandate".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 19, 2018 04:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).