With 20 AAP MLAs disqualified, Delhi may head for by-poll soon

NEW DELHI: Following the disqualification 20 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators over holding office of profit on Sunday, Delhi is likely to face by-polls soon. 

The top party leaders have asked the disqualified MLAs to prep for both legal and electoral battles, said sources. 

In a big setback to Delhi's ruling AAP, the Election Commission of India on Friday recommended disqualification of 20 MLAs came, for holding office of profit. On the same day, Delhi High Court refused to give any interim relief to the disqualified party members. 

President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday accepted the EC's recommendation to disqualify 20 MLAs.

"Having considered the matter in the light of the opinion expressed by the Election Commission, I, Ram Nath Kovind, President of India, in the exercise of the powers. Do here hold that the aforesaid 20 members of the Delhi legislative Assembly stand disqualified from being members of the said Assembly," a notification issued by the Law Ministry quoted the President as saying.

The matter will be taken up by the court again today. 

"We hope to get justice in the court. Even if we don't get justice then we will go to the people's court which is the highest court," Madanlal, who represented the Kasturba Nagar constituency prior to his disqualification, said.

According to former party member Kapil Mishra, who rebelled against the AAP leadership in 2017, said, “This is the win of Indian Constitution. Today, Arvind Kejriwal must have realised that nothing is bigger than the Constitution and law. Now, he also should not raise questions on the EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines), the EC (Election Commission), and also President of India. He (Kejriwal) should be ready to face elections. Delhi will be going for elections soon and a new government will be formed." 

Reacting to the disqualification of the lawmakers, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that God gave the party 67 seats knowing that this day was coming.

ऊपर वाले ने 67 सीट कुछ सोच कर ही दी थी।

हर क़दम पर ऊपर वाला आम आदमी पार्टी के साथ है, नहीं तो हमारी औक़ात ही क्या थी। बस सच्चाई का मार्ग मत छोड़ना। — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 21, 2018

The 20 MLAs include - Adarsh Shastri (Dwarka), Alka Lamba (Chandni Chowk), Anil Bajpai (Gandhi Nagar), Avtar Singh (Kalkaji), Kailash Gahlot (Najafgarh) - who is also a minister - Madan Lal (Kasturba Nagar), Manoj Kumar (Kondli), Naresh Yadav (Mehrauli), Nitin Tyagi (Laxmi Nagar), Praveen Kumar (Jangpura), Rajesh Gupta (Wazirpur), Rajesh Rishi Janakpuri), Sanjeev Jha (Burari), Sarita Singh (Rohtas Nagar), Som Dutt (Sadar Bazar), Sharad Kumar (Narela), Shiv Charan Goel (Moti Nagar), Sukhbir Singh (Mundka), Vijendar Garg (Rajinder Nagar) and Jarnail Singh (Tilak Nagar).

With agency inputs