Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal today held a roadshow to garner support ahead of the February 7 assembly elections in Delhi. In the process he missed filing his nomination.
The show seemed to be a success by the crowd that turned up to cheer him on. But the slow progress of his walk, that trended on Twitter as #WalkWithKejriwal, meant that he failed to file his nomination papers in time, and will now have to wait until tomorrow. Kejriwal probably won't mind that.
Due to overwhelming response/too much crowd Arvind could not reach ELECTION OFFICE. He will file his nomination tomorrow. #WalkWithKejriwal
— ashutosh (@ashutosh83B) January 20, 2015
More than lakh people came to #WalkWithKejriwal just on an information circulated at Social Media. pic.twitter.com/6d9pDjsxQ8
— Jal Swaraj (@sanjay_dimpy) January 20, 2015
A bigger worry for Kejriwal might be a notice from the Election Commission (EC) today. The EC issued a showcause notice, the second in last three days, to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal for "prima facie" violation of the poll code by allegedly making a speech where he asked voters to take bribes from BJP and Congress but only vote for his party.
The EC notice said the statement, made during a public rally on January 18 in Delhi, amounts to abetting and promoting bribery under relevant sections of the Representation of People Act. The portion of the speech that the EC found objectionable was: "it's election time. When people both from BJP and Congress come offering money, don't refuse, accept...some have looted money from 2G, some have looted money from coal scam...Take money from both the parties but vote for AAP."
The EC is a constitutional authority, can has the power to disqualify candidates. The notice said that the speech also violated the model code of conduct currently in force in the national capital.
The Commission said it had received complaints in this regard from political parties after which it asked the Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi to submit a recording of the speech. The EC has asked Kejriwal to respond and present his side by 4pm on Thursday failing which the poll body "shall take a decision without any further reference" to him.
Earlier on January 17, Kejriwal was issued a showcause notice by the EC for "prima facie" violating the MCC with his remarks alleging that BJP is trying to incite communal violence in the capital city. The deadline for this notice is today.