Punjab polls: AAP accuses election commission of tweaking registration process
The EC is reducing the 30-day objection period to seven days to make special changes for the registration of a special political party, says AAP’s Punjab affair co-incharge Raghav Chadha
Chandigarh : The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday accused the Election Commission of making changes in the registration process of political parties under pressure from the BJP to facilitate the registration of a new “morcha” in Punjab.
AAP’s Punjab affair co-incharge Raghav Chadha claimed that the changes were being made to prevent the formation of his party’s government in the state.
“The EC is reducing the 30-day objection period to seven days to make special changes for the registration of a special political party. Despite the imposition of the code of conduct, the EC is going to register this political party just 25 days before the election,” he said at a press conference in an apparent reference to the Samyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM) set up by the farmers’ organisations.
The AAP leader, however, did not specifically take the name of any party. Both the AAP and the SSM were in talks for an electoral, but to agree on seat sharing and have been targeting each other since. AAP national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday conceded that his party could lose some votes due to the decision of the SSM to contest the state elections.
Questioning the need to change the laws overnight and the motive behind these changes, Chadha said the political party that will be registered should make its relations with the BJP and Amit Shah clear in front of the people of the country.
“At first, the BJP thought they can stop the AAP using the Shiromani Akali Dal, Congress and Amarinder Singh. When they failed, a party is being registered,” he said. He also asked the EC and the BJP as to which existing political party stands to lose the most once this new and special political party is established and which one stands to gain the most.
