Gujarat Assembly elections 2022: Manish Sisodia’s BIG allegation - ‘BJP has kidnapped AAP’s Surat candidate’

NEW DELHI: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has made big allegations against the ruling BJP, saying the saffron party has kidnapped Kanchan Jariwala – his party’s candidate from Surat (East) for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly Elections 2022. Sisodia claimed that he was last seen at the RO’s office yesterday. “They (BJP) tried to get his nomination rejected.  Later, he was pressurised to withdraw his nomination. This raises questions on EC,” the AAP leader said.

BJP has kidnapped our candidate from Surat (East) from Gujarat, Kanchan Jariwala. He was last seen at the RO office yesterday. They tried to get his nomination rejected. Later, he was pressurised to withdraw his nomination. This raises questions on EC: AAP leader Manish Sisodia pic.twitter.com/g593SN9KXN — ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2022

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said Jariwala had been missing along with his family members since Tuesday. "In this election, the BJP is miserably losing in Gujarat and has become so rattled that it has stooped to the level of kidnapping our candidate from Surat East," Sisodia said.

"Fearing defeat, the BJP goons have kidnapped the AAP candidate from Surat, Kanchan Jariwala," he said. "This is dangerous. This is the kidnapping of democracy, not just a candidate," he alleged.

"Our candidate from Surat (East), Kanchan Jariwala, and his family missing since yesterday. First, BJP tried to get his nomination rejected. But his nomination was accepted. Later, he was being pressurised to withdraw his nomination. Has he been kidnapped?" tweeted Arvind Kejriwal.

गुंडों और पुलिस के दम पर उम्मीदवारों को अगवा करके उनका नामांकन वापिस करवाया जा रहा है।

इस क़िस्म की सरेआम गुंडागर्दी भारत में कभी नहीं देखी गयी। फिर चुनाव का क्या मतलब रह गया? फिर तो जनतंत्र ख़त्म है। https://t.co/wff4CMihx8 — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 16, 2022

AAP's Raghav Chadha called it "murder of democracy". The BJP has not responded to AAP's allegations till now. AAP leaders have also appealed to the EC to take cognisance of it and "deploy all machinery to trace and bring back our party's candidate and his family members".

BJP has been in power in Gujarat for 27 years and it now faces an aggressive challenge this time from AAP, which has turned the traditional BJP versus Congress rivalry in the state into a triangular contest.

Voting will be held in Gujarat on December 1 and 5 for electing a new government and the results will be declared on December 8.