Court cancels AAP councilor's election in 2017 MCD poll, orders re-polling

A Delhi court has cancelled the election of an AAP councillor from a south Delhi ward in last year's MCD elections here with a direction to the state election commission to hold a re-election.

District and Sessions Judge Asha Menon passed the order on the petition filed by BJP's Pratibha Chauhan, who lost to AAP candidate Pooja in the Chirag Delhi ward 88S in Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) election held on April 23 last year, saying there were shortcomings in the filing of the latter's affidavit before the state election body.

"With regard to the dating of the affidavit by the respondent and the notarisation of the same, the discrepancy in the same cannot be overlooked as being a minor error," the judge said.

The court also observed that there seems to be "a deliberate failure" to date and time
of the receipt and candidate Pooja "cannot take the benefit of such deliberate action or rather, inaction."