The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has vociferously criticized the Election Commission for its discriminatory conduct during the voting for Delhi’s seven Lok Sabha seats on Saturday. AAP and INDIA bloc candidate from the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat Shri Somnath Bharti reported blatant violations of the election code at numerous polling booths, with Election Commission officials and Delhi Police turning a blind eye. The AAP and INDIA bloc candidate described the Election Commission’s behaviour as resembling a “Modi Commission,” citing instances where BJP supporters openly distributed pamphlets featuring the Prime Minister and BJP candidate’s photo without repercussion. while minor infractions by AAP supporters faced immediate penalties.
AAP and INDIA Alliance candidate from the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat Shri Somnath Bharti told, in a press conference at the party headquarters, how BJP has kept the country’s democracy and constitution at stake and considers it their own property. How the Election Commission is now working as the ‘Modi Commission’ and promoting all kinds of ill experiments in the elections. The BJP is doing whatever it wants openly and the Election Commission is not taking any cognizance of it. “Being a candidate of the INDIA Alliance, I went to inspect various booths on Saturday, and what I saw at almost every booth shook me to the core. According to the rule, on the day of elections, no party’s symbol is allowed within 200 meters of any booth. But this rule does not apply to everyone, the Election Commission has not said so. This rule is only for the candidates of AAP and INDIA Alliance,” he said.
The Senior AAP Leader further added that If you are from BJP, you can do anything. Even when elections are going on and you enter the polling booth and campaign, no one will stop you. Yesterday, I had informed this to the people of the country through a tweet. When I went to booth number 117, 118, 134, 135 and 137 of Malviya Nagar assembly, what I saw was very surprising. The BJP’s polling booths in charges at polling booths had put up pamphlets on their tables stating the ballot number of BJP candidate Bansuri Swaraj. Whereas the presiding officer, sector officer and police were on duty there to ensure that if anyone is carrying anything in a bag, then it should be thoroughly checked. I also came to know from many police personnel that many polling agents of BJP entered the booth during polling wearing saffron coloured T-shirts, caps and carrying saffron coloured bags. The sector officer allowed them to go inside even when some police officers opposed it.
Shri Somnath Bharti showed those pamphlets of BJP, and said that it violates the rules of Election Commission in many ways. “It has the party symbol, PM Modi’s photo, candidate’s photo and her ballot number. If you are sitting there and showing this pamphlet, then you are directly influencing the vote. You are directly campaigning to vote for it. I posted a video on social media. When I left Malviya Nagar and went to other booths and my booth number 117, there was also BJP’s booth in-charge sitting with this pamphlet displayed on his table in a similar way. The same situation was in RK Puram, Venkateswara College booth and G Block MCD Primary Co-Ed School Nanak Pura,” he added.
“Here another incident happened in booth number 12 and 13. When I saw that BJP people were sitting there with pamphlets in a similar way. After this I complained about it to the police officer there and informed him about that pamphlet, then from his attitude it seemed that he is also a part of this conspiracy. He was saying that it doesn’t matter, I can’t do anything. You should complain to the sector officer. After this, when I asked him for the sector officer’s number, he refused to give me his number and snatched my phone,” the AAP and INDIA Alliance candidate shared.
Shri Somnath Bharti said that you can see his audacity that he snatched the phone of a candidate of a national party who is a joint candidate of Congress and Aam Aadmi Party. And he said that I will not give the phone, you sit, you will get the phone back after the procedure. He not only snatched my phone but also made the photographer who was accompanying me sit there and said that we will not let you go. He also snatched the phones of the people who were filming this on their phones. In this way that officer snatched three phones. When I protested against this, he refused to give us the phone. And when I asked for the receipt, he refused to give that too saying that he will not even give the receipt. The hooliganism shown by this police officer yesterday is absolutely beyond expectations. Will Delhi Police only work on Modi ji’s orders or is all their power focused on conducting free and fair elections, added the INDIA alliance candidate for New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency.
Shri Somnath Bharti said that the kind of attitude shown by this Delhi Police officer suggested that that he is a part of this conspiracy. When the sector officer came, he saw these pamphlets with his own eyes and accepted that this is wrong and doing so is a crime, but no action was taken against the polling agents of BJP. It is very sad and scary how the democracy of the country is in danger because of BJP. Today BJP has taken over every institution. This incident is a sign that the Election Commission is working only like Modi Commission. We have already told the country how the Election Commission was selected. How the Prime Minister removed the Chief Justice of India from the earlier three-member selection committee and put his cabinet minister in it. After this, 2 out of 3 members became from BJP. The way BJP’s booth in-charge is promoting his candidate inside the booth during voting, it is not rocket science that the Election Commission cannot conduct fair elections. When two pamphlets were found in my associate’s car, car was seized and released after 10 days. But here the Election Commission has no objection, added the senior AAP leader.
While showing the video of Kotla booth and the video of the sector officer, Shri Somnath Bharti said that the sector officer, who is the representative of the Election Commission and the in-charge of the booth, is clarifying that it is okay, no one was influenced by the pamphlet, he is sitting with the pamphlet on his table and no one has any objection to it. I was very surprised to hear that the Election Commission, which is trying to cover up the mistakes of the BJP, is showing its ‘slavery’. It is saying that whatever may be the case, if the BJP has made a mistake, then a hundred sins are forgiven. I am saying with confidence that at almost all the polling stations I have visited, the polling agents of the BJP had a free hand to sit there with the pamphlet and influence the people and their votes. Also, the sector officer is saying that there was only one pamphlet there, not 10. Whereas he had at least 20 to 25 types of pamphlets in his bag, added the INDIA alliance New Delhi Lok Sabha candidate.
Shri Somnath Bharti said that on the other hand, the polling agents of the Aam Aadmi Party were not even allowed to sit outside wearing white caps. The BJP’s polling agent has entered inside and is sitting wearing a saffron coloured T-shirt and cap. The Election Commission has no objection to this. The Election Commission had an objection that the Aam Aadmi Party should not have more than 4 chairs at the table but there is no objection whether the BJP has 10 or 20 chairs at the table. A person from the Aam Aadmi Party cannot even put up any banner of his while the agent of the BJP is distributing pamphlets. Even a news channel made a video of Ms. Bansuri Swaraj casting her vote and the pamphlet she is holding is the same pamphlet her agents are distributing. She herself is going inside with the pamphlet. All this is happening openly. The Election Commission has no objection at all. The Election Commission is completely bowing down at the feet of Shri Narendra Modi that he has given us a job, they can do whatever they want, we have no objection.
The INDIA alliance candidate from New Delhi said that at 6:30 pm, information was received that the election boxes had not been closed in the co-ed primary school Nanakpura of Delhi MCD. So, when I reached there and expressed my objection that I was a candidate, please allow me to go inside. It is my right to see why you are delaying closing the box? But they did not open the door and refused to let me inside. This is necessary because 11 days after the first phase of elections, the Election Commission had increased the voting percentage by 6%. So as a candidate, it is my right to know what you are doing inside the box? Through this, I want to tell the country that the BJP has taken over the Election Commission. There is no idea what they are doing with the box after the elections. Being a candidate, I had the right to know. My female associate Praveen Kataria was filming all these things. The police snatched her phone. In this way, a male police person also misbehaved with a woman. Being a candidate, I had the right to know what was happening with the box, they deprived me of that. After this, the police official started giving me clarification that snatching the phone was justified. It was justified to pull the woman’s hand. Whatever the Sector Officer did to the BJP in the election process, it was justified, you cannot capture it.
Shri Somnath Bharti said that I want to tell the people of the country that the democracy of the country is really in danger. Being a candidate, when I raised a question that my boxes were not safe, within a few moments 200 to 250 police officers came there to stop me. ACP, DCP, all the officers came there. Then they snatched my phone and said that we will capture what is happening but you do not have the right to capture it. At present, the entire police department and Election Commission are openly helping the BJP to win the elections. Elections and democracy are in danger. We are able to see that the Election Commission is working in every way to help the BJP. There is still one phase of elections left, through you the message will reach the people of those states who are yet to vote. Everyone should come together to ensure that the BJP’s undemocratic, unconstitutional and dictatorial attitude will not continue. Everyone should decide together that this is not constitutional and will not work in the country. Such forces have to be eliminated from the country, only then will this country be saved, he concluded.
