2019 LS polls: AAP wants South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri from BJP disqualified

Bhiduri has been accused of concealing information about an FIR against him in Bihar.

AAP’s Raghav Chadha with Deputy CM Manish Sisodia during a press conference in New Delhi on Saturday | Naveen kumar

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party has filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court challenging the South Delhi Returning Officer’s (RO) decision of accepting the nomination papers of BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri.

AAP’s candidate Raghav Chadha, who earlier raised objections with the EC on Bidhuri’s nomination, asserted that the BJP leader had hidden information about an FIR registered against him while filing his affidavit. Incidentally, Bidhuri had accepted the objection and filed an application mentioning the FIR. “It is only a matter of 30 days, I would say, till the High Court cancels his candidature. I urge the people of South Delhi not to waste their vote on a candidate who will be disqualified anyway. He has lied to the people, to the EC, but will soon be answerable to the law,” said Chadha.

Have moved Delhi High Court today seeking disqualification of @rameshbidhuri as a candidate. He has concealed FIR pending against him. Concealment of a criminal case is serious offence & am sure his nomination will be rejected as soon as Court looks into the matter.

— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) April 27, 2019

The petition filed in the Delhi High Court demands the cancellation of nomination of the BJP leader. Chadha claimed that the Returning Officer overlooked “glaring discrepancies in Bidhuri’s nomination”.  “The respondent No. 2 (Bidhuri) had wilfully and intentionally concealed the factum of registration of an FIR against him in Police Station... Muzaffarpur, Bihar,” it states.

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The plea sought a direction to call for the records and quash the returning officer’s April 24 order. It also sought an order to the RO to scrutinise Bidhuri’s nomination in accordance with various directions of the Supreme Court. “The RO’s decision is arbitrary, illegal, unsustainable and ought to be quashed,” the AAP’s South Delhi candidate said.

Backing Chadha’s claims, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the charges against Bidhuri were serious. “He is sure to be disqualified. South Delhi voters should not waste their vote on him,” Kejriwal tweeted.  

But, Bidhuri claimed he had earlier contested and won Assembly and Lok Sabha elections and “nothing wrong was ever found in my nominations”. “The AAP is running a propaganda against me. All the facts and papers submitted in my nomination are true. The AAP leaders are conspiring against me because they are losing the Lok Sabha elections,” he said in his defence.