In a big blow to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Election Commission of India on Wednesday recommended disqualification of 20 of the party MLAs in the Delhi Vidhan Sabha, concluding that they occupied office of profit on account of their appointment as parliamentary secretaries.
If the recommendation is cleared by President Ram Nath Kovind, which is expected to be just a technical formality, it would result in immediate reduction in the strength of the AAP in the Vidhan Sabha from the present 66 to 46. This would not, in any way, endanger the government of Arvind Kejriwal, since a party needs at least 36 seats in the 70-member assembly to be able to form government in Delhi.
However, it is a setback to the AAP, and this will play out immediately at the level of taking away the psychological advantage of having a brute majority of 66 out of a total 70 MLAs in the Vidhan Sabha of Delhi. The attacks of political rivals—the Congress and the BJP—are expected to get sharper, as the two parties would be looking to the bypolls to the 20 seats to redeem themselves in Delhi and claim revenge for the drubbing that they received at the hands of the newbie party in the assembly elections of 2015.
The Congress and the BJP have been prompt in responding to the disqualification of AAP MLAs. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said the development showed that the AAP has covered its journey from 'India Against Corruption' to 'I am Corruption' in a short span. “Do they have the moral right to stay in government in Delhi?” Patra asked.
Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken was prompt in demanding the resignation of Chief Minsiter Arvind Kejriwal. He said the party will carry out a 'Jan Andolan' to demand Kejriwal's resignation.
“Kejriwalji does not have the moral right to stay on his post. He must resign,” Maken said.
The byelections would be a mini assembly election in a way, on account of the number of seats involved, and the outcome would be seen as a referendum on the performance of the AAP government in the last three years since it came to power in Delhi.
The AAP's disastrous performance in the municipal elections in 2017 was a big setback to the party, and it was seen as reflecting the people's thumbs down to the Kejriwal government. However, a win in the bypoll held in the assembly constituency of Bawana came as a morale booster for the AAP.
Legal options are still available with the AAP with regard to the disqualification of its MLAs. It can go in appeal in the Supreme Court, challenging the decision of the Election Commission.
AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj accused Chief Election Commissioner A.K. Joti of returning Prime Minister Narendra Modi a favour before he retires on January 22. “He (Joti) wanted to dispose off this case before he leaves office and do his master's last bidding,” Bharadwaj said.
AAP has accused the Commission of having a partisan attitude in the matter. Nagender Sharma, media advisor to the chief minister of Delhi, tweeted: “This must be the first ever recommendation in EC history where a recommendation has been sent without even hearing the main matter on merits. No hearing took place in EC on the point of office of profit.”
