News Analysis India

Tag: Kanchan Jariwala

  • Gujarat: AAP’s candidates in Surat held at hotel after ‘Kidnapped’ candidate withdrew nomination

    Express News Service

    AHMEDABAD: The last-moment withdrawal of Surat (East) candidate Kanchan Jariwala has rung an alarm bell for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Following the incident, the AAP on Thursday called Surat’s 11 candidates to a hotel on the pretext of a meeting and did not allow them to move out of the hotel until the time limit for withdrawing the form expired.

    The Punjab team was actively engaged with Aam Aadmi Party’s candidates for Surat city and other districts since early morning today. All candidates were taken out of the Surat District limit. All the candidates for AAP were called to one place by the Punjab team and then they were taken out of the city.

    Preparations were made in advance so that no one can contact them and no candidate is pressured by other political parties and threatened to withdraw their nomination papers.

    A leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, on condition of anonymity, said that “we were gathered at a place early this morning. In which the candidates of different assemblies were called for a meeting. From there We were then taken to a hotel outside the city.”

    “We and all Gujarat has seen which kind of dirty game the Bharatiya Janata Party played on Thursday, and the kind of intimidation that was given to our candidate’s family and Kanchan Jariwala, our party planned to take us out so that no one pressures us. We have had a conversation with our leaders. After the time for withdrawal of nomination papers was over, we were brought back from where we were taken outside the city,” he said.READ | Acted on my conscience, says AAP’s ‘kidnapped’ Gujarat candidate who withdrew nomination

    However, Aam Aadmi Party’s spokesperson Yogesh Jadvani claimed that no such incident happened and said, “No such incident happened, it is our daily work, we have daily meetings, we hold a training session every day, besides if there is any guideline issued by our Party, then we have a meeting for that, but peoplehave misrepresented our daily meeting or taken it somewhere else.”

    “We have routine meetings every day, and none of our candidates has gone out of the city,” he added.

    Importantly, amid high drama, the Aam Aadmi Party’s Surat (East) candidate Kanchan Jariwala on Wednesday announced his withdrawal from the poll race. Still, the party alleged he was forced to do so by BJP who had kidnapped him the previous day.

    On Friday Election Commission clarify that AAP candidate Kanchan Jariwala from Surat(East), has withdrawn the form after coming to the Returning Officers (RO) office, EC has asked for a report about the incident, and the report has come with video evidence that from has been withdrawn in the presence of RO officer, AAP filed a complaint before the Election Commission.ALSO READ | Withdraw or else face action, Gujarat BJP warns rebels

    AHMEDABAD: The last-moment withdrawal of Surat (East) candidate Kanchan Jariwala has rung an alarm bell for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Following the incident, the AAP on Thursday called Surat’s 11 candidates to a hotel on the pretext of a meeting and did not allow them to move out of the hotel until the time limit for withdrawing the form expired.

    The Punjab team was actively engaged with Aam Aadmi Party’s candidates for Surat city and other districts since early morning today. All candidates were taken out of the Surat District limit. All the candidates for AAP were called to one place by the Punjab team and then they were taken out of the city.

    Preparations were made in advance so that no one can contact them and no candidate is pressured by other political parties and threatened to withdraw their nomination papers.

    A leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, on condition of anonymity, said that “we were gathered at a place early this morning. In which the candidates of different assemblies were called for a meeting. From there We were then taken to a hotel outside the city.”

    “We and all Gujarat has seen which kind of dirty game the Bharatiya Janata Party played on Thursday, and the kind of intimidation that was given to our candidate’s family and Kanchan Jariwala, our party planned to take us out so that no one pressures us. We have had a conversation with our leaders. After the time for withdrawal of nomination papers was over, we were brought back from where we were taken outside the city,” he said.READ | Acted on my conscience, says AAP’s ‘kidnapped’ Gujarat candidate who withdrew nomination

    However, Aam Aadmi Party’s spokesperson Yogesh Jadvani claimed that no such incident happened and said, “No such incident happened, it is our daily work, we have daily meetings, we hold a training session every day, besides if there is any guideline issued by our Party, then we have a meeting for that, but people
    have misrepresented our daily meeting or taken it somewhere else.”

    “We have routine meetings every day, and none of our candidates has gone out of the city,” he added.

    Importantly, amid high drama, the Aam Aadmi Party’s Surat (East) candidate Kanchan Jariwala on Wednesday announced his withdrawal from the poll race. Still, the party alleged he was forced to do so by BJP who had kidnapped him the previous day.

    On Friday Election Commission clarify that AAP candidate Kanchan Jariwala from Surat(East), has withdrawn the form after coming to the Returning Officers (RO) office, EC has asked for a report about the incident, and the report has come with video evidence that from has been withdrawn in the presence of RO officer, AAP filed a complaint before the Election Commission.ALSO READ | Withdraw or else face action, Gujarat BJP warns rebels

  • Acted on my conscience, says AAP’s ‘kidnapped’ Gujarat candidate who withdrew nomination

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD/ DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party’s Surat East Assembly seat candidate in Gujarat withdrew his nomination on Wednesday, with the AAP alleging that he was kidnapped and pressured to do so at the behest of the BJP, a charge denied by the ruling party.

    The AAP candidate, Kanchan Jariwala, cleared the air by issuing a video statement in which he purportedly said he withdrew his nomination without any pressure and by listening to his conscience after the people of his constituency labelled him “anti-national” and “anti-Gujarat” for contesting the election from the AAP and threatened not to support him.

    The AAP wrote to the Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) P Bharathi on the issue and requested her to inquire into the entire incident and take appropriate action.

    Amid the development, Congress candidate from the seat, Aslam Cyclewala, wrote an open letter seeking the support of the AAP and end such “anti-social pollution”. 

    ALSO READ | AAP candidate withdraws nomination, Sisodia alleges ‘BJP goons’ abducted him

    Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Deputy Chief Minister and senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said their Surat seat candidate Jariwala, along with his family, had been missing since Tuesday.

    “In this election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is miserably losing in Gujarat and has become so rattled that it has stooped to the level of kidnapping our candidate,” Sisodia alleged.

    #WATCH | Gujarat: AAP candidate from Surat (East) from Gujarat, Kanchan Jariwala, takes back his nomination after he was allegedly kidnapped last evening pic.twitter.com/E1vqqkveNi
    — ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2022
    “Fearing defeat, the BJP goons kidnapped the AAP candidate from Surat, Kanchan Jariwala,” he alleged.

    State AAP president Gopal Italia claimed their Surat East candidate appeared before the office of the Returning Officer on Wednesday under heavy police protection and surrounded by “BJP goons” to withdraw his candidature under the pressure of the ruling party. 

    Italia alleged that Jariwala had gone missing and was allegedly taken to an undisclosed location by the BJP goons, who put pressure on him to stay away from the election.

    However, Surat city BJP president Niranjan Zanzmera refuted the allegations and said the AAP should instead “take care of its own house.

    “In the purported video message, Jariwala said, “During campaigning, people repeatedly told me that I was anti-national and anti-Gujarat and they will not support me for the party from which I have filed my candidature. Getting such negative feedback from the public, my conscience cried.”

    “I listened to my conscience and made up my mind not to contest the election from such an anti-national and anti-Gujarat party and withdrew my nomination without any pressure,” he said.

    In the letter to the Gujarat CEO, AAP leader and Rajya Sabha members Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha accused the BJP of trying to get his nomination rejected initially, which did not work as the returning officer accepted the nomination.

    “It is not only a misuse of the police machinery but against the essence of free and fair elections,” the letter said.

    “BJP did not stop there and threatened him and his family for life,” stated the letter.

    “This is a horrific story and a blot on the election system that threatens to tear apart the democratic fabric of the country,” the AAP said, requesting the CEO to take notice of the “grave situation” and direct an inquiry into the entire incident and take appropriate and strict action as per law.

    “As the withdrawal process of the nomination paper of this candidate is under threat, coercion and pressure, therefore withdrawal or any such attempt may be acted upon immediately,” it said.

    Congress candidate Cyclewala sought the support of the AAP from the seat to defeat the BJP.

    “On the direct orders of state BJP president CR Paatil, the nomination of your candidate for Surat East Assembly seat has been withdrawn by intimidation, money power and deceit,” he alleged in a post on his Facebook page.

    “In a democracy, if you really want to end such anti-social corruption, then you should openly support me on the 159-Surat East assembly seat,” he said in his note addressed to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and the party’s state leadership. 

    The BJP has fielded its sitting MLA Arvind Rana from the seat.

    Elections for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5 and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 8.

    AHMEDABAD/ DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party’s Surat East Assembly seat candidate in Gujarat withdrew his nomination on Wednesday, with the AAP alleging that he was kidnapped and pressured to do so at the behest of the BJP, a charge denied by the ruling party.

    The AAP candidate, Kanchan Jariwala, cleared the air by issuing a video statement in which he purportedly said he withdrew his nomination without any pressure and by listening to his conscience after the people of his constituency labelled him “anti-national” and “anti-Gujarat” for contesting the election from the AAP and threatened not to support him.

    The AAP wrote to the Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) P Bharathi on the issue and requested her to inquire into the entire incident and take appropriate action.

    Amid the development, Congress candidate from the seat, Aslam Cyclewala, wrote an open letter seeking the support of the AAP and end such “anti-social pollution”. 

    ALSO READ | AAP candidate withdraws nomination, Sisodia alleges ‘BJP goons’ abducted him

    Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Deputy Chief Minister and senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said their Surat seat candidate Jariwala, along with his family, had been missing since Tuesday.

    “In this election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is miserably losing in Gujarat and has become so rattled that it has stooped to the level of kidnapping our candidate,” Sisodia alleged.

    #WATCH | Gujarat: AAP candidate from Surat (East) from Gujarat, Kanchan Jariwala, takes back his nomination after he was allegedly kidnapped last evening pic.twitter.com/E1vqqkveNi
    — ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2022
    “Fearing defeat, the BJP goons kidnapped the AAP candidate from Surat, Kanchan Jariwala,” he alleged.

    State AAP president Gopal Italia claimed their Surat East candidate appeared before the office of the Returning Officer on Wednesday under heavy police protection and surrounded by “BJP goons” to withdraw his candidature under the pressure of the ruling party. 

    Italia alleged that Jariwala had gone missing and was allegedly taken to an undisclosed location by the BJP goons, who put pressure on him to stay away from the election.

    However, Surat city BJP president Niranjan Zanzmera refuted the allegations and said the AAP should instead “take care of its own house.

    “In the purported video message, Jariwala said, “During campaigning, people repeatedly told me that I was anti-national and anti-Gujarat and they will not support me for the party from which I have filed my candidature. Getting such negative feedback from the public, my conscience cried.”

    “I listened to my conscience and made up my mind not to contest the election from such an anti-national and anti-Gujarat party and withdrew my nomination without any pressure,” he said.

    In the letter to the Gujarat CEO, AAP leader and Rajya Sabha members Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha accused the BJP of trying to get his nomination rejected initially, which did not work as the returning officer accepted the nomination.

    “It is not only a misuse of the police machinery but against the essence of free and fair elections,” the letter said.

    “BJP did not stop there and threatened him and his family for life,” stated the letter.

    “This is a horrific story and a blot on the election system that threatens to tear apart the democratic fabric of the country,” the AAP said, requesting the CEO to take notice of the “grave situation” and direct an inquiry into the entire incident and take appropriate and strict action as per law.

    “As the withdrawal process of the nomination paper of this candidate is under threat, coercion and pressure, therefore withdrawal or any such attempt may be acted upon immediately,” it said.

    Congress candidate Cyclewala sought the support of the AAP from the seat to defeat the BJP.

    “On the direct orders of state BJP president CR Paatil, the nomination of your candidate for Surat East Assembly seat has been withdrawn by intimidation, money power and deceit,” he alleged in a post on his Facebook page.

    “In a democracy, if you really want to end such anti-social corruption, then you should openly support me on the 159-Surat East assembly seat,” he said in his note addressed to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and the party’s state leadership. 

    The BJP has fielded its sitting MLA Arvind Rana from the seat.

    Elections for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5 and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 8.

  • Gujarat Assembly polls: AAP candidate withdraws nomination, Sisodia alleges ‘BJP goons’ abducted him

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party’s Surat East Assembly seat candidate in Gujarat withdrew his nomination on Wednesday, with the AAP alleging he was abducted at the behest of the BJP and pressured to do so, a charge denied by the ruling party.

    Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said their Surat seat candidate Kanchan 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 alleged.

    “Fearing defeat, the BJP goons kidnapped the AAP candidate from Surat, Kanchan Jariwala,” he further charged.

    The BJP has fielded its sitting MLA Arvind Rana from the seat. Elections for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5 and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 8.

    State AAP president Gopal Italia claimed their Surat East candidate Kanchan Jariwala appeared before the office of the Returning Officer on Wednesday under heavy police protection and surrounded by “BJP goons” to withdraw his candidature under the pressure of the ruling party.

    READ HERE | Gujarat polls: ‘Don’t waste your votes, Congress’ share will go below 13 per cent’, says Kejriwal

    When media persons questioned Jariwala, he was hurriedly whisked away by the persons surrounding him.

    Italia alleged that Jariwala had gone missing and was allegedly taken to an undisclosed location by the BJP goons who put pressure on him to stay away from the election.

    Sisodia said, “This is not just the kidnapping of our candidate, but the kidnapping of democracy. This is a very dangerous situation in Gujarat.”

    He appealed to the Election Commission to take cognisance of it. However, Surat city BJP president Niranjan Zanzmera refuted the allegations and said the AAP should instead “take care of its own house”.

    Italia said the AAP will take the advice from its legal team for further action into the matter.

    “The BJP first wanted to get Jariwala’s nomination invalidated on the last date of the process on Tuesday. When his nomination was accepted, the BJP goons took him to some undisclosed location. We could not find him anywhere until Wednesday morning. His relatives told us that he was put under huge pressure to stay away from the election,” Italia claimed while talking to reporters in Surat.

    Italia further said the way Jariwala appeared to withdraw his nomination suggested that he was under “huge pressure.

    “Why else would he come to the office under heavy police protection and with 50-100 goons if he intended to withdraw his candidature on his own?” Italia asked.

    AAP’s Gujarat co-incharge Raghav Chadha alleged that the “BJP goons” kidnapped Jariwala on Tuesday to put pressure on him to withdraw his candidature.

    “The BJP is so scared in Gujarat that it has started kidnapping the AAP candidates,” the Rajya Sabha member claimed.

    “The BJP goons themselves went to the office of the Returning Officer along with Jariwala and put pressure on him to get his nomination invalidated. The pressure was also put on his proposers to get his nomination invalidated,” he alleged.

    Chadha said the party has informed the Chief Electoral Officer about it, and a written complaint will be submitted. Local police and administration have also been informed about it, he said. Surat Police Commissioner Ajay Tomar told PTI that the issue has come to his notice.

    “I have come to know about it and we are trying to find out. I have put my teams on the job and we will find it out. We have not received any formal complaint yet but since this has come to my notice, I am working on it,” the police official said.

    NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party’s Surat East Assembly seat candidate in Gujarat withdrew his nomination on Wednesday, with the AAP alleging he was abducted at the behest of the BJP and pressured to do so, a charge denied by the ruling party.

    Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said their Surat seat candidate Kanchan 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 alleged.

    “Fearing defeat, the BJP goons kidnapped the AAP candidate from Surat, Kanchan Jariwala,” he further charged.

    The BJP has fielded its sitting MLA Arvind Rana from the seat. Elections for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5 and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 8.

    State AAP president Gopal Italia claimed their Surat East candidate Kanchan Jariwala appeared before the office of the Returning Officer on Wednesday under heavy police protection and surrounded by “BJP goons” to withdraw his candidature under the pressure of the ruling party.

    READ HERE | Gujarat polls: ‘Don’t waste your votes, Congress’ share will go below 13 per cent’, says Kejriwal

    When media persons questioned Jariwala, he was hurriedly whisked away by the persons surrounding him.

    Italia alleged that Jariwala had gone missing and was allegedly taken to an undisclosed location by the BJP goons who put pressure on him to stay away from the election.

    Sisodia said, “This is not just the kidnapping of our candidate, but the kidnapping of democracy. This is a very dangerous situation in Gujarat.”

    He appealed to the Election Commission to take cognisance of it. However, Surat city BJP president Niranjan Zanzmera refuted the allegations and said the AAP should instead “take care of its own house”.

    Italia said the AAP will take the advice from its legal team for further action into the matter.

    “The BJP first wanted to get Jariwala’s nomination invalidated on the last date of the process on Tuesday. When his nomination was accepted, the BJP goons took him to some undisclosed location. We could not find him anywhere until Wednesday morning. His relatives told us that he was put under huge pressure to stay away from the election,” Italia claimed while talking to reporters in Surat.

    Italia further said the way Jariwala appeared to withdraw his nomination suggested that he was under “huge pressure.

    “Why else would he come to the office under heavy police protection and with 50-100 goons if he intended to withdraw his candidature on his own?” Italia asked.

    AAP’s Gujarat co-incharge Raghav Chadha alleged that the “BJP goons” kidnapped Jariwala on Tuesday to put pressure on him to withdraw his candidature.

    “The BJP is so scared in Gujarat that it has started kidnapping the AAP candidates,” the Rajya Sabha member claimed.

    “The BJP goons themselves went to the office of the Returning Officer along with Jariwala and put pressure on him to get his nomination invalidated. The pressure was also put on his proposers to get his nomination invalidated,” he alleged.

    Chadha said the party has informed the Chief Electoral Officer about it, and a written complaint will be submitted. Local police and administration have also been informed about it, he said. Surat Police Commissioner Ajay Tomar told PTI that the issue has come to his notice.

    “I have come to know about it and we are trying to find out. I have put my teams on the job and we will find it out. We have not received any formal complaint yet but since this has come to my notice, I am working on it,” the police official said.