ACB serves notice to Kejriwal over claims of BJP poaching AAP candidates ahead of Delhi poll results
New Delhi, Feb 7 (PTI): The Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on Friday served a legal notice to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, seeking details and evidence regarding his allegations that the BJP attempted to bribe his party candidates ahead of the Delhi Assembly election results.
The legal notice comes just a day before the counting of votes is scheduled to take place for the Delhi Assembly elections held on February 5.
The notice, delivered at Kejriwal's 5, Ferozeshah Road residence, has intensified the political tensions between AAP and the BJP, with the former calling it a politically motivated move.
The ACB's notice specifically refers to a post on X by Kejriwal accusing the BJP of offering bribes to 16 AAP candidates to switch sides.
The notice asks Kejriwal to confirm whether the tweet was made by him and provide detailed information on the alleged poaching attempts.
It also seeks the names of the 16 candidates who received phone calls, the phone numbers of those who contacted them and any supporting evidence to substantiate these claims.
"Provide the evidence and proof to support the claim/allegations of the offer of a bribe levelled by you and your party members on various media/social media platforms," the ACB notice reads.
The notice also warns of potential legal action, asking Kejriwal to explain why those spreading such allegations should not be prosecuted for creating "panic and unrest" among the people of Delhi.
"Explain as to why an appropriate legal action should not be taken against the persons spreading such information on media/social media platforms, which is tantamount to creating panic and unrest situations amongst the people of Delhi," the notice reads.
Earlier, high drama unfolded as AAP strongly criticised the ACB's action, calling it an attempt to intimidate the party ahead of the election results.
AAP's legal cell chief Sanjeev Nasiar alleged that the ACB initially had no legal notice and was sitting outside Kejriwal's house without clarity on their purpose.
"They did not have any legal notice at first. After one-and-a-half hours, they served us with a notice. This drama is orchestrated by the LG office in collusion with the BJP. The officers were under pressure," Nasiar claimed.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh backed these allegations and filed a complaint with the ACB, stating that more than 16 AAP candidates had been approached by unidentified individuals attempting to lure them away from the party.
"I am a member of the PAC (Political Affairs Committee) of the Aam Aadmi Party and also the party's leader in Parliament. On February 6, around 2.30 pm when I was present in Parliament, I personally received information from my colleagues that the current MLAs and party candidates are being contacted by the leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party and are being asked to join the BJP by offering bribes worth crores of rupees and ministerial posts," Singh said in his complaint.
Singh further asked for appropriate action on his complaint.
The BJP, however, dismissed AAP's accusations, labelling them as baseless and an attempt to deflect attention from the party's internal troubles.
The controversy erupted after Delhi BJP general secretary Vishnu Mittal submitted a representation to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, urging action against AAP for allegedly spreading misinformation about poaching attempts.
Following this, Saxena directed the ACB to conduct an inquiry, leading to the issuance of the notice to Kejriwal.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
