AAP accuses LG of directing Delhi police to impede voting, he refutes claim as "unwarranted and false"
May 25, 2024
New Delhi [India], May 25 : Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi minister Atishi on Friday in a social media post accused Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena of ordering Delhi police to impede voting in areas that have supporters of INDI alliance.
Ahead of the polling for the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections, in a post on X, Atishi wrote, "Information has been received that today @LtGovDelhi has ordered Delhi Police to slow down the voting in those areas where there are a large number of INDIA alliance voters so that people face difficulty in casting their votes."
"Any such attempt by the administration to make the BJP win is illegal, undemocratic and unconstitutional. And I hope the Election Commission will take cognizance of this, and stop any such attempt."
Atishi's post draws a reaction AAP supremo and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal who raised his concern and said, "This is shocking. EC should ensure smooth voting in Delhi."
Later, responding to the issue Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena said, "I have taken a stern view of this unwarranted & false statement on the eve of election against a constitutional authority by a Minister, endorsed by you."
"This impropriety is unacceptable & these typically absurd & concocted claims are a deliberate design to subvert democracy by misleading voters. Strict action will be taken," VK Saxena said further in the post.
All seven Lok Sabha constituencies are undergoing polls on Saturday. BJP won all seven seats in 2014 and in the 2019 general elections.
In Chandni Chowk, BJP has replaced sitting MP Harsh Vardhan with debutant Praveen Khandelwal to face Congress' JP Agarwal, who is a veteran of Lok Sabha battles. He has fought parliamentary elections 10 times and has been elected four times to Parliament.
For East Delhi, Harsh Deep Malhotra of the BJP is pitted against Aam Aadmi Party's Kuldeep Kumar, popularly known as Monu. Kuldeep Kumar is MLA from Kondli seat.
From New Delhi, Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of late Union minister Sushma Swaraj, is facing AAP's Somnath Bharti from the seat.
In North East Delhi, BJP's sitting MP Manoj Tiwari is pitted against Congress' Kanhaiya Kumar, a student leader from JNU, who contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls unsuccessfully as a CPI candidate from Bihar's Begusarai.
In North West Delhi, former BJP MP Udit Raj is seeking to make a comeback from the reserved constituency. The former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer is pitted against Yogender Chandolia of the BJP, who has served as mayor of North Delhi.
From South Delhi, BJP's Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, MLA, is facing Aam Aadmi Party's Sahi Ram Pehalwan in this constituency.
In the West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, Kamaljeet Sehrawat from the BJP is facing Mahabal Mishra from AAP. Mishra is a three-time MLA and a former MP.