NEW DELHI: The office of the Delhi Chief Election Officer (CEO) will probe the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s act burning the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) manifesto from the 2014 Lok Sabha polls on March 13 this year to check for any violations of the Model Code of Conduct.
Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal had led his party’s ministers in burning the manifesto as part of its push for full statehood status for the national capital. After the event, the BJP complained to the Election Commission.
The IP Estate police station, falling under the Central district, recorded a complaint in this regard and forwarded the matter to the concerned district election office. Further AK Sajnani, SDM (election) has asked the Returning Officer (RO) of the Chandni Chowk parliamentary constituency to take action for violations of the poll code.
“We have provided information regarding the programme to the concerned election office, which is a routine process. Now, it is the EC which will decide whether it was violation and what kind was it,” said Anant Mittal, Additional DCP, Central district. The event was part of AAP’s week-long protest against the saffron party demanding statehood. AAP MLAs, ministers and councillors went across the city in their constituencies and burnt the manifesto.
Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari had said that statehood would be the agenda for his party in this year’s election. Following his statement, the AAP stated that saffron party promised the status in its 2014 manifesto and that it is ‘back-stabbing’ the public of the national capital.
The EC announced the dates of the Lok Sabha elections on 10th of this month and AAP held the programme three days later on 13th March. Meanwhile, Delhi’s CEO also informed that 39 FIRs and daily dairy (DD) entries have been registered against various political parties since March 10.