Page 35 - Aap

Chandigarh mayor's resignation shows BJP won by 'unfair means': Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said that BJP leader Manoj Sonkar's resignation as Chandigarh mayor shows that they won the elections by using "unfair means". Addressing the media outside the Delhi Assembly, Kejriwal said, "If the mayor has resigned then it is very obvious that something is suspicious there. It clearly shows that they won the elections by unfair means." "This is how they win other elections too; if they don't, they buy leaders from the winning party. How will a democratic country function if elections are won unfairly? They (BJP) should let the party that won the elections run the government," Kejriwal alleged. Sonkar resigned as Chandigarh mayor and three AAP councillors -- Neha, Poonam and Gurcharan Kala -- joined the BJP on Sunday. Hitting back at AAP, BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde said that the councillors joined the BJP on their "own will" and alleged that AAP made false promises to those leaders. "AAP councilors joined the BJP on their own

Newly-elected Chandigarh mayor Sonkar resigns amid poll rigging allegations

Newly elected Chandigarh Mayor Manoj Sonkar resigned from the post on Sunday, amid allegations that the January 30 mayoral polls were rigged, according to sources. This comes a day before the matter is to come up for hearing before the Supreme Court. Mayor Manoj Sonkar has submitted his resignation to the municipal commissioner, sources said. The BJP had swept the Chandigarh mayoral polls, in a setback to the Congress-AAP alliance that alleged tampering with ballot papers by the presiding officer. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court had rapped the returning officer who conducted the mayoral polls, observing that it was obvious that he defaced the ballot papers and that he should be prosecuted, adding that his action amounted to "murder and mockery" of democracy. The court had also ordered preservation of ballots and the video of the poll proceedings besides seeking the returning officer's personal appearance during the next hearing in the case on February 19.

AAP govt wins trust vote in Delhi Assembly, CM says no party MLA defected

The Aam Aadmi Party government on Saturday won a trust vote in the 70-member Delhi Assembly with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claiming that his party has emerged as the biggest challenger to the BJP, which "wants to crush it by any means". Kejriwal, who is also the national convener of the AAP, won the confidence motion with the support of 54 MLAs and said no legislator of his party defected. Out of 62 AAP MLAs in the Delhi Assembly, 54 were present in the House during the trust vote, two were in jail, two others were unwell, three were out of station and one was not present due to a wedding in his family, the AAP national convener said. Kejriwal had moved the motion of confidence in the Assembly on Friday and accused the BJP of trying to poach his party's MLAs. Since seven of the eight BJP legislators were suspended for the remainder of the session for allegedly interfering during the Lieutenant Governor's address on Thursday, Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri was the on

If BJP does not lose LS polls, will make India BJP free in 2029: Kejriwal

He said AAP became a national party in a short span of time and now the party has governments in Delhi and Punjab. AAP won the trust vote in the Assembly

AAP being attacked as it is BJP's biggest challenger, says Delhi CM

The AAP is the biggest challenger to the BJP and that is why it is under attack from all sides, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday during a discussion on the motion of confidence he moved in the Budget session of the assembly. Speaking on the motion of confidence, Kejriwal asserted that even if the BJP wins this year's Lok Sabha polls, the AAP will "liberate" the country from the saffron party in the 2029 elections. The Delhi chief minister, who is also the AAP convenor, said his government has a majority in the House but it needed to bring the motion of confidence because the BJP was trying to poach party MLAs and topple his government. The House later passed the motion of confidence through a voice vote, with 54 of the AAP's 62 MLAs present during the voting. Kejriwal also asserted that no AAP MLA had defected. Two MLAs are in jail, some are unwell and some others are out of station, he said. He said several MLAs explained how they were contacted and offered m

Temporary structure falls at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, 11 rescued

At least 11 people trapped under the debris of a collapsed temporary structure at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in south Delhi were rescued on Saturday, officials said. The incident occurred at 11 am, police said. A Delhi Fire Services official said a call was received about the pandal (temporary structure) collapsing at the stadium. Initially, two people were rescued from under the debris. Later, nine more people were brought out. A police officer said most of the injured are workers. "The pandal was being erected for a wedding function near Gate No 2. The injured have been taken to AIIMS trauma centre for treatment," the officer said, and added no casualties have been reported so far. Personnel from the police and the fire department, and ambulances are on the spot, the officer added.

Will personally invite Bajrang, Vinesh, Sakshi for trials: Sanjay Singh

WFI President Sanjay Singh on Friday assured that the protesting wrestlers' trio of Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik would not face any discrimination and he would personally approach them for appearance in the Olympic Qualifiers trials, which will be held in Maharashtra. World governing body UWW had lifted the provisional suspension imposed on the WFI with a rider that no wrestler should face discrimination. Punia, Phogat and Malik had led a protest against former WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who they have accused of sexual exploitation of women wrestlers. The elite wresters are also against Sanjay Singh's election as WFI chief, saying that he is a Brij Bhushan loyalist and his election is a threat to women wrestlers. "We have started planning to take Indian wrestling forward. We will soon organise trials for the Olympic Qualifying events in Maharashtra. The state has good infrastructure. I will ask Bajrang, Vinesh and Sakshi to forget everything and start

MCD develops 1.75 acre green cover in Wazirpur area to curb pollution

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has developed a 1.75 acre green cover in northwest Delhi's Wazirpur locality, a heavily industrialised region and among the top pollution hotspots in the capital, to mitigate the impact of the local sources of air pollution in the area. The civic body planted a total of 16,000 saplings of indigenous varieties on a vacant land that had turned into a garbage dumping point to develop a mini forest in the region using the Miyawaki technique, an official aware of the development told PTI. "The Horticulture department of the MCD in collaboration with an NGO converted the vacant land used for garbage dumping to create a mini forest in the area that will help in improving the air quality levels in the region. We have utilised 1 acre of land for plantation and the rest of the land is used to develop pedestal crossing, install swings, and benches," he said. Wazirpur is among the 13 identified pollution hotspots in the national capital that contribute to the

AAP moves SC against removal of 'encroachment' on land allotted to Delhi HC

The Aam Aadmi Party has moved the Supreme Court against immediate removal of an "encroachment" by it on a land allotted to the Delhi High Court at Rouse Avenue here, saying it will severely prejudice the party as well as the fairness of the electoral process in view of Lok Sabha polls. In an application filed in the pending matter related to judicial infrastructure, the AAP claimed there is no question of it "encroaching" on a space that was duly allotted to it in 2015 and that has been in its possession since then. It said while the party remains ready and willing to vacate the subject premises and requested the top court to direct that such vacation be required only after at least one of the two office spaces that the applicant is entitled to are allotted to it in the New Delhi Municipal area of a nature appropriate to the applicant's status as a National Party. In view of these circumstances, immediate vacation will mean that the applicant will be left with none of the two office

We will continue to remain in INDIA bloc, says AAP MP Sandeep Pathak

Amid a rift with Congress in the INDIA bloc, Aam Aadmi Party MP Sandeep Pathak on Wednesday said that the party will continue to remain in the alliance as winning the election is more important.AAP MP said "We will continue to remain in the alliance. We are not in the alliance for our benefit. We are here because we have to win. Winning is important. All our strategies and decisions are targeted towards victory...""In Punjab, local units of both AAP and Congress said they wanted to contest independently. We are contesting together in Delhi. I hope that seat-sharing discussions happen soon, and I hope they are productive... The basis of seat sharing should be the stronghold of candidates on their constituency," Sandeep Pathak added.Earlier, on Tuesday the Aam Aadmi Party offered the Congress Party a single Lok Sabha seat in Delhi. This is contrary to earlier reports that had suggested a 3-4 formula between Congress and AAP in Delhi.Further, AAP MP Sandeep Pathak said that even though ..

'For alliance dharma', AAP offers Congress 1 Lok Sabha seat in Delhi

Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely said seat sharing 'cannot be decided at press conferences', pointing out that Congress candidates were runners-up in five seats

AAP wants to contest 6 seats in Delhi, offer 1 to Congress: Sandeep Pathak

The AAP on Tuesday said it wants to contest six seats in Delhi in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and offer just one to the Congress, asking the senior INDIA bloc ally to conclude seat-sharing talks at the earliest. The party also announced its candidates for two Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat and one in Goa. Addressing a press conference here after a meeting of the party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC), AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak said Venzy Viegas will contest from the South Goa seat, while Chaitar Vasava and Umesh Bhai Makwana from Bharuch and Bhavnagar seats in Gujarat respectively. He said the AAP has demanded eight Lok seats in Gujarat (total 26) from the INDIA bloc which is proportionate to the party's vote share in the last assembly poll. "We want to contest six seats in Delhi and offer one to the Congress for the polls based on the vote shares in recent elections. We are not announcing any candidate for Delhi at the moment but if seat-sharing talks do not happen quickly, w

'Congress doesn't deserve even 1 seat in Delhi': AAP on seat-sharing talks

AAP said that the party wants the Congress to contest only one of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi

AAP leaders Kejriwal, Bhagwant Mann to visit Ayodhya Ram Temple on Monday

During their visit to Ayodhya, the families of both leaders will also accompany them

We are firmly with 'INDIA': AAP on decision to contest all Punjab seats

Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday emphasised that it was firmly with the INDIA bloc and asked the Congress for a quick decision on seat-sharing, even as it defended the move to go it alone in Punjab saying local units of both parties wanted to fight the Lok Sabha elections separately. AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, while addressing a programme in Punjab earlier in the day, announced that his party will declare its candidates for all 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state and the lone Chandigarh parliamentary seat in the next 10-15 days. The local units of both Congress and AAP in Punjab favoured fighting election separately, the Aam Aadmi Party, which had earlier called for an alliance with the Congress in Delhi, Gujarat, Goa and Haryana, said in a statement. "So we have decided to honour that. Regarding other states, talks are ongoing," the statement said. "We are firmly with the alliance. Our shared goal is to defeat the BJP. Time is thus of paramount importance if the

Chandigarh Mayor Elections: Murder of democracy, says SC

Will build as many schools as summons sent: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

The summons was issued after non-compliance with its summons in a money-laundering case linked to the Aam Admi Party (AAP) government's Delhi excise policy

AAP to meet on Feb 13 to decide on LS candidates' names for 3 states

The AAP will hold a meeting of its Political Affairs Committee on February 13 to decide on the names of the Lok Sabha candidates for Gujarat, Haryana, and Goa, a party source said on Friday. In a sign of exasperation over protracted seat-sharing talks with its INDIA bloc partner Congress, the AAP on Thursday declared party candidates for three Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam. "The party's PAC will meet on February 13 to decide on the names of the candidates for Gujarat, Goa and Haryana," the source said. Aam Aadmi Party national general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak announced party leaders Manoj Dhanohar, Bhabhen Chaudhary, and Rishi Raj candidates from Dibrugarh, Guwahati, and Sonitpur, in that order. Pathak, in a press conference at AAP headquarters here, said the party is left with little time ahead of the polls. Earlier, the AAP leaders had said that the party was in talks with the Congress over seat-sharing in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Goa. AAP national

'Cannot afford any further delays in decision-making': AAP to INDIA bloc

AAP MP Sandeep Pathak expressed impatience with ongoing talks within the INDIA bloc, saying that he hopes the alliance will support the three candidates announced by the party

Court grants exemption to Kejriwal from personal appearance for day

A court here on Wednesday granted exemption to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from personal appearance for the day in a criminal defamation case for retweeting an allegedly defamatory video circulated by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee in May 2018. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Tanya Bamniyal allowed the exemption plea moved by Kejriwal's counsel and directed him to appear before the court on February 29. The plea claimed that the chief minister was busy with "budget sessions". The Delhi High Court on February 5 had upheld the summons issued to Kejriwal by the trial court as an accused, saying that reposting alleged libelous content will attract the defamation law. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma had said that a sense of responsibility has to be attached while retweeting content about which one does not have knowledge. Retweeting of defamatory content must invite penal, civil as well as tort action if the person retweeting it does not attach a disclaimer, the high court had ...