Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Kanchan Jariwala withdrew his nomination from Gujarat's Surat (East) seat on Wednesday after AAP alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 'kidnapped' him. The AAP has alleged that BJP has taken Jariwala to an undisclosed location. A video statement by Jariwala is also coerced, alleged AAP.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday evening approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) to allege that Gujarat Police took the AAP leader Kanchan Jariwala to the returning officer's (RO) office where he subsequently withdrew his resignation.
The AAP further alleged that the police later handed over Jariwala to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which then took him to an undisclosed location and his mobile phone continues to be switched off.
The AAP's complaint to ECI came in a fast-faced day in Gujarat which began with AAP alleging that BJP 'kidnapped' Jariwala and that his family remains missing. Following AAP's complaint, Jariwala emerged with a cover of around 500 police personnel and went on withdraw his nomination from Surat (East) constituency of Gujarat assembly. The AAP has alleged BJP is behind the episode as it fears defeat in upcoming Gujarat assembly elections.
A video of Jariwala also emerged in which he says that it's not BJP but AAP's "anti-national" and "anti-Gujarat" nature that made him withdraw his nomination.
"People used to ask me during my campaign why I became a candidate of an anti-national and anti-Gujarat party. I listened to my inner voice. I withdrew my nomination without any pressure. I can't support such a party," said Jariwala, as per a translation by NDTV.
Kanchan Jariwala was until Wednesday the AAP candidate from Surat (East) constituency of Gujarat assembly.
Jariwala was earlier with the Congress party and he contested the 2021 Surat civic body election on a Congress ticket and lost, reports The Indian Express, which adds that he later joined AAP.
Top AAP leader Raghav Chadha told NDTV that Jariwala has been in the party for two years and has been rewarded with a ticket over his hard work.
Regarding the video of Jariwala in which he says AAP is the reason for his withdrawal, Chadha said the statement is a result of coercion subjected to Jariwala and his family. He further said that if he wanted to withdraw, he would not be campaigning for AAP until November 14.
Chadha told NDTV, "He was abducted by BJP goons and taken to an undisclosed location. I along with my team tried to track him down all night. He was pushed, manhandled, and was compelled to withdraw his nomination under duress, at gunpoint. He was then handed back to the BJP goons by the police and then taken again to an undisclosed location.
"He had been campaigning until the night of 14th November. The sound bite that he is giving is at gunpoint. The BJP has threatened his family, which is why he is withdrawing his nomination."
Jariwala is believed to have been active in Surat, where AAP has dedicated its energies. Of all the seats in Gujarat, the AAP is most confident in Surat because of its earlier performance in civic polls in the district, reports The Times of India.
"Of the 120 seats in Surat Municipal Corporation, BJP won 93 while the Congress failed to open its account. AAP, securing 28.58 per cent of the votes, won 27 seats and replaced the Congress as the opposition party," reported ToI on the 2021 Surat civic polls.
Jariwala had emerged as a serious threat to sitting Surat (East) MLA Arvind Rana, according to the Congress, which has otherwise often clashed with the AAP during the campaign.
"Kanchan Jariwala posed a serious threat to the winning prospects of sitting MLA Arvind Rana. The BJP was chasing Jariwala for the last many days and finally they were successful in getting him to withdraw his nomination," said Aslam Cyclewala to Hindustan Times, Congress candidate on Surat (East) seat, but he also added that the AAP is a BJP proxy and that the two are in this together.
The AAP has claimed that the BJP first tried to get AAP's Surat (East) candidate Kanchal Jariwala's nomination rejected on Tuesday. After the BJP failed to get the nomination rejected, the AAP alleged, the BJP 'kidnapped' him and made him withdraw at gun-point.
"On 15.11.2022, the day of scrutiny of the nomination paper, the BJP first tried to get the nomination rejected by putting frivolous objections and tried to influence the proposers of the candidate by threat and coercion to backtrack their signatures on the nomination papers of the AAP candidate," said Sisodia in AAP's complaint to ECI.
The AAP's complaint said the RO "in all his fairness" rejected the BJP's objections, following which the BJP "went on to threaten Mr Kanchan Jariwala and alos his family for their lives".
Earlier on Wednesday, AAP leaer and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia alleged that Jariwala has been kidnapped and that he withdrew his candidature at gun-point.
"The candidate [Jariwala] has been abducted. His nomination was withdrawan at gun-point. What can be a bigger emergency than this for Election Commission. This is why we have approached the Election Commission with request of prompt action," said Sisodia in a tweet in Hindi.
Kejriwal said Jariwala's nomination has been withdrawn on the basis of "goons and police".
"His nomination has been withdrawn on the basis of goons and police. This kind of blatant hooliganism has never been seen in India. With this, what's the point of the election, the democracy is over," said Kejriwala on Twitter in Hindi.
In his complaint to ECI, Sisodia said the alleged developments are "against the essence of free and fair elections".
"It's not only a misuse of the police machinery but against the essence of free and fair elections. This is a horrific story and a blot on the election system that threatens to tear apart the democratic fabric of the country," said Sisodia in the complaint.