AAP cancels nominee for Amritsar seat second time

Embarrassed by its candidate's decision to join the Congress, the AAP on Wednesday cancelled the candidature of its nominee for Amritsar-Central assembly seat Darbari Lal.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had named Darbari Lal, a former Congressman, as its candidate on January 7, after cancelling the candidature of Rajinder Kumar.

The AAP was forced to cancel Kumar's candidature after the party was criticised for fielding someone accused of damaging a model of the Golden Temple, the holiest of Sikh shrines, at the Amritsar railway station some years back.

While Darbari Lal joined the Congress in Delhi on Wednesday in the presence of Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh, the AAP did a flip-flop on the announcement of cancellation of his candidature.

Punjab AAP Convener Gurpreet Singh Waraich first said Lal's candidature had been cancelled due to ill health and that he was admitteed in a hospital and unable to campaign.

An AAP spokesman later issued another statement saying Lal's candidature has been cancelled following "serious allegations of corruption surfacing against him".

Lal left the Congress in 2014 to join the BJP. He joined the AAP last year.

--IANS

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