Delhi polls: Relief for AAP's Avadh Ojha as ECI clears vote transfer

Delhi Assembly elections: An AAP delegation met election officials to demand the transfer of Avadh Ojha's voter ID from Greater Noida to Delhi. Ojha is AAP's candidate from Patparganj constituency

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday approved the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) request to transfer the voter ID of Avadh Ojha, the party's candidate from Patparganj, to Delhi. This decision followed a meeting between senior AAP leaders and top officials of the ECI.

 

The delegation included Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, AAP national convenor and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and party MP Sanjay Singh. Following the meeting, Kejriwal announced that the Election Commission had agreed to the party's demand.

 

Voter ID card issue

 

The AAP delegation highlighted the issue of transferring Avadh Ojha's voter ID from Greater Noida to Delhi. Arvind Kejriwal earlier emphasised the urgency, stating that Ojha's ability to contest the election depended on the successful transfer of his vote, enabling him to file nomination papers. 

 

According to Kejriwal, Ojha submitted Form 8 for the transfer on January 7, the final day for such applications. However, the Delhi chief electoral officer allegedly issued an order changing the deadline to January 6, which Kejriwal claimed was unlawful and intended to "deliberately disqualify" Ojha from running in the election.

 

Additionally, the delegation raised concerns about multiple voter registration applications linked to addresses of senior BJP leaders in the New Delhi constituency.

 

Last week, Arvind Kejriwal, in a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, raised concerns about alleged voter list irregularities in the New Delhi Assembly constituency ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. Kejriwal, the sitting MLA from New Delhi seat, faces BJP's Parvesh Verma and Congress' Sandeep Dikshit in polls.

 

In the letter, the former chief minister accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of making continuous efforts to "manipulate" voter lists in the New Delhi constituency. He claimed that these actions were part of a "systematic" attempt to undermine the "integrity" of the Delhi assembly elections.

 

In the letter, Kejriwal said, "I write to you with grave concern regarding the repeated attempts by members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to manipulate the voter lists in the New Delhi Assembly constituency in a systematic effort to subvert the integrity of the upcoming elections."

 

The Delhi Assembly elections are scheduled to be held on February 5, and the results will be declared on February 8.

 

(With inputs from agencies)