Avadh Ojha's Patparganj Candidature At Risk? EC's BIG Move - Check

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal with party candidate for Delhi Assembly polls Avadh Ojha leaves from the Election Commission office, in New Delhi, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (PTI Photo)

Delhi Polls: In the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections, a new challenge cropped up for the Aam Aadmi Party and its Patparganj constituency candidate Avadh Ojha's candidacy. The issue with teacher-turned-politician Ojha’s candidacy emerged after it was discovered that he is registered as a voter in Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida.

For him to avoid disqualification and stand eligible for the nomination from the Patparganj constituency, the AAP and Ojha need to ensure that his vote is transferred from Greater Noida to Delhi before the deadline to file nomination papers, which is January 17, expires.

Speaking on the matter, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said the party has moved the Election Commission of India to save Ojha from being disqualified as a contestant due to the delay in shifting his vote from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi. “He filed Form 8 for shifting his vote to Delhi on January 7—which is well within the EC deadline of 10 days before the start of filing of nominations on January 17—but the CEO revised the cut-off date for accepting such applications to January 6,” he said.

There seems to be a conspiracy to debar Ojha from filing his nominations, he said, adding that he, along with other AAP leaders, would take up the issue with the ECI.

EC’s Lifeline To Ojha 

Later on Monday evening, the Election Commission of India (ECI) approved the transfer of AAP leader Awadh Ojha's name from the voter rolls in Greater Noida to Delhi, enabling him to file his nomination for Patparganj, confirmed AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal. The development came after a delegation of AAP, led by Kejriwal, met ECI officials to address the issue. "The good news is that Awadh Ojha's vote will be shifted and the commission has issued order to transfer his vote, and he will be able to file the nomination," Kejriwal said.

The Delhi assembly polls will be held in a single phase on February 5, and the counting of votes will take place on February 8. The last date for filing nominations is January 17. The date for scrutiny of nominations is January 18. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is January 20. A three-way contest is on the cards in Delhi between the ruling AAP, BJP, and Congress.

After a historic win of 67 out of 70 seats in 2015, AAP dominated the 2020 assembly elections as well by winning 62 out of 70 seats while the BJP got eight seats. Congress, which was in power for 15 consecutive years in Delhi, has suffered setbacks in the last two assembly elections and has failed to win any seat.

(With agency Inputs)