Page 6 - Aam Aadmi Party

BJP govt delaying assembly polls in J&K to continue its proxy rule: AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday alleged the BJP government was delaying the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir on one pretext or another to deny people their democratic rights. AAP leader Harsh Dev Singh said that while no initiative has been taken to install a popular government in Jammu and Kashmir, the administration seem to have been outsourced to bureaucrats, mostly from outside the Union Territory and having hardly any connect with the masses who are deprived of even basic amenities. "The BJP-led government was inventing one excuse after another to deny people their democratic rights and to continue its proxy rule," he told reporters in the Chenani area. Singh said the silence of the Centre and the Election Commission on Jammu and Kashmir while announcing the elections for Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat amply revealed the government's intention. Democracy has been reduced to a farce in Jammu and Kashmir with the political process having been rendered defunct and ...

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AAP releases first list of 134 candidates, includes 65 women for MCD polls

The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday released the first list of 134 candidates for the high-stakes December 4 polls to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. As many as 65 candidates are women, the party document showed. "Dedicated old party volunteers working on the ground have got recognition for their hardwork in the first list itself," the party said, adding that 90 per cent of the party tickets have been awarded to such volunteers who have been working at the grassroots level for years. Before giving the tickets, the party had surveyed all the candidates and took feedback from the local people upon their choice of candidates. More than 20,000 party workers had applied to contest the MCD election on AAP's ticket, the statement said. The list of candidates was finalised in a marathon meeting of the AAP's Political Affairs Committee (PAC) chaired by party convenor Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal along with senior leader Manish Sisodia and AAP Delhi state convenor Gopal Rai was present in the ...

Aam Aadmi Party releases first list of 134 candidates for Delhi civic polls

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday released the first list of 134 candidates for the high-stakes Delhi civic polls. The names were announced following a long meeting of the Political Affairs Committee of the party. The list has more than 60 women candidates. Ninety per cent of the tickets have been awarded to AAP workers working at grassroots level, the party said in a statement. More than 20,000 workers had applied to get a ticket to contest the MCD polls, it said. Earlier in the day, the party had released its list of 30 star campaigners while it's national convener Arvind Kejriwal also released the party's 10 guarantees for the polls, that included clearing the three landfill sites, corruption-free MCD, among other points. The 250-ward Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) goes to polls on December 4 and the counting of votes will take place on December 7. The BJP has been in power in the MCD -- trifurcated in 2012 into north, south and east corporations and then unified this

AAP banking on Patidars to power its foray into BJP-ruled Gujarat

"The 'Babbar Sher' (lion) has come, now no one else stands a chance here," said a youngster as Alpesh Kathiriya, AAP candidate from the Varachha Road Assembly constituency, arrived at a residential colony here on a motorcycle with his supporters in tow. Kathiriya along with his supporters went from door to door chanting 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and urging residents, many of whom came out of their houses after seeing his cavalcade, to vote for him in the upcoming state polls. "We are with you," an elderly woman assured 28-year-old Kathiriya, who was a prominent leader of the 2015 Patidar quota agitation in Gujarat and earned the sobriquet 'Babbar Sher' for his aggressive and uncompromising stand on the issue. Kathiriya told PTI that the BJP has betrayed the Patidar community, which was once a staunch supporter of the saffron party. "During the 2017 Assembly polls, they (BJP) had promised that they would withdraw all cases filed against us but did not do so after returning to power. They

Conman Sukesh writes to Delhi L-G, seeks transfer to any other jail

Jailed conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar has written a series of letters to Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena complaining against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Minister Satyendar Jain.The latest letter, released by Sukesh's lawyer AK Singh dated November 9, claimed that he has received "constant threats" and pressure to withdraw complaints filed before the LG office against Aam Aadmi Party, Satyendar Jain, Arvind Kejriwal and Kailash Gehlot.Sukesh's lawyer, in the letter, sought the transfer of the conman and his wife who are lodged in Tihar Jail in the national capital, to any other jail across the country (away from control of DG and Delhi Prisons) "to ensure safety of their lives and limbs"."My client (Sukesh Chandrashekhar) has received constant threats and pressure to withdraw complaints filed before the Lieutenant Governor office against Aam Aadmi Party, Satyendar Jain, Arvind Kejriwal & Kailash Gehlot and also to retract from disclosure statements given to the EOW

Guj's financial position makes it easy to go for freebies. But should it?

The Gujarat Assembly elections will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5, and the results will be declared on December 8

Centre, Delhi govt to discuss arbitral award payment to DAMEPL on Thursday

The meeting has been convened after DMRC wrote to the Delhi government and MoHUA, seeking financial assistance for the payment of Rs 7,000 crore arbitral award to DAMEPL

AAP declares candidates for municipal polls in UP's Gautam Buddh Nagar

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) here announced its candidates for the upcoming municipal polls in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar. The AAP has fielded Naveen Bhati as candidate for the Dadri Nagar Palika elections, according to a party statement. For Nagar Panchayat, it has fielded Rakesh Awana (Bilaspur), Udayveer Malik (Dankaur), Kailash Sharma (Jewar), Dildar Ansari (Rabupura) and Naresh Prajapati (Jahangirpur), it said. AAP's Gautam Buddh Nagar unit president Bhupendra Singh Jadaun claimed his party will play a "pivotal role" in the municipal elections this time. Noida, which falls in the Gautam Buddh Nagar district, does not have a municipal body. However, parts of Greater Noida have municipal bodies. The dates for the keenly-contested local body polls are yet to be announced.

BJP demands lie detector test for Kejriwal, Jain amid bribing allegations

The BJP on Tuesday staged a protest outside the AAP office here and demanded a lie detector test for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after suspected conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar claimed that he was forced to bribe the party. In a series of letters, Chandrashekhar has alleged that he paid money to Delhi minister Satyender Jain and other AAP leaders for protection in jail and a Rajya Sabha ticket from the party. The AAP has dismissed the charges as an attempt by the BJP to use Chandrashekhar as its "star campaigner", fearing defeat in the Gujarat (Assembly) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections. BJP MP and the party's former Delhi unit chief Manoj Tiwari demanded a televised lie detector test for Kejriwal, Jain and Chandrashekhar. Jain is in jail in connection with a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate. "The allegations by Chandrashekhar were earlier against AAP ministers and leaders but now he has directly charged Kejriwal, who needs to ..

Who is Isudan Gadhvi? AAP's newly announced Gujarat CM candidate

Isudan Gadhvi, AAP's choice for chief minister of Gujarat, has become a politician after being a journalist. Aditi Phadnis tracks his career

Journalist-turned-politician Gadhvi tasked with 'anchoring' AAP win in Guj

From news reporting to himself becoming news, former television anchor Isudan Gadhvi, who was born in a farming family, has had a swift rise in politics and has become the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s chief ministerial candidate in Gujarat just a year after he joined the fledgling outfit led by Arvind Kejriwal. Gadhvi (40) started his career as a journalist with a local news channel around 17 years ago after acquiring a degree in journalism from the Gujarat Vidyapith, a deemed university in Ahmedabad founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920. Just last year he joined the AAP and his big moment came on Friday when Gadhvi was declared the party's chief ministerial candidate in Gujarat, where Assembly polls for the 182-member House will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5. The declaration was made in Ahmedabad by Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, who has been positioning his party as the main challenger of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been ruling Gujarat

Kejriwal to announce AAP's CM candidate for Gujarat Assembly polls today

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal will announce on Friday the name of the party's chief ministerial candidate for the next month's Gujarat Assembly elections, party office-bearers said. This candidate will be named on the basis of opinion submitted to the party by the people of the state, they said. Those in the race for the top post from the AAP include its state unit president Gopal Italia, national general secretary Isudan Gadhvi and general secretary Manoj Soratihya, party sources said. Kejriwal is scheduled to hold a press conference in Ahmedabad on Friday to announce the name, the party said in a statement on Thursday. Last week, Kejriwal had urged people to contact the party through SMS, WhatsApp, voice mail and e-mail to give their views about who should be the CM candidate from the party in the state, which is currently being ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He had said that people could submit their points of view till November 3 evening a

Sessions judge grants more time to decide Satyendar Jain's bail plea

A principal district and sessions judge has granted more time to a sessions court here for deciding the bail plea of AAP leader Satyendar Jain in a money laundering case. The judge directed that the pending arguments be concluded by November 11. The judge also noted that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) took adjournment in the case because of non-availability of Additional Solicitor General S V Raju. The matter was posted for further hearing on November 7. Earlier, the judge had transferred the matter to the court of Special Judge Vikas Dhull and the time frame fixed for deciding the bail plea was about to end. Jain, arrested by the ED for corruption charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), is currently in judicial custody. The ED had arrested Jain and two others in the money laundering case based on a CBI FIR lodged against the AAP leader in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act. He is accused of having laundered money through four companies allegedly l

Himachal's high debt-GSDP ratio makes poll freebies promises a tough task

Though comparatively prosperous than other Indian states, Himachal has a huge debt-GSDP ratio

Prez approves appointment of AAP MLA Raaj Kumar Anand as Delhi minister

AAP leader Raaj Kumar Anand will soon assume charge as a minister in the Delhi Cabinet, with President Droupadi Murmu accepting the city government's recommendation in this regard. The appointment was announced in a gazette notification issued on Tuesday. "The President is pleased to appoint, on the advice of the Chief Minister of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Shri Raaj Kumar Anand as a Minister in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, with effect from the date he is sworn in," the gazette notification said. Days after Rajendra Pal Gautam resigned from the Cabinet on October 9 following a row over his presence at a religious conversion event, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said he had recommended the name of Anand, the Patel Nagar MLA, to the lieutenant governor for including him in his ministry. Gautam was the minister for departments of social welfare, SC and ST, registrar of co-operative societies and gurudwara elections. Like Gautam, Anand is also from the Ja

Centre to hold meeting on Nov 10 to discuss payment of dues to RInfra

In the last hearing on October 10, DMRC told the High Court that if Delhi Metro were to raise loans to pay the arbitration award to DAMEPL, it would fall into a 'debt trap'

AAP faces flak on removal of Mahatma Gandhi's pictures from offices

Amid a row over Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's appeal for printing images of Hindu deities on currency notes, the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress in Gujarat on Friday criticised the Aam Aadmi Party for removing Mahatma Gandhi's photos from government offices in Punjab, where the AAP is in power. Attacking Kejriwal over his demand, Gujarat BJP president CR Paatil said people should remain cautious and make sure the AAP does not remove Mahatma Gandhi's photograph from currency notes like it did in government offices. "The AAP has removed Gandhiji's photos from the Punjab Chief Minister's Office as well as from all government offices in the northern state after coming to power. People need to remain cautious to make sure the AAP does not remove Gandhiji's photos from currency notes too," Paatil told reporters at Patan town of Gujarat. Notably, Kejriwal, the AAP convener, and his party colleague, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, were in Panchmahal district of Gujarat on Friday to

AAP releases seventh list of 13 candidates for Gujarat Assembly polls

The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday released its seventh list of 13 candidates for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections, taking the number of nominees whose names the party has declared so far to 86. The list was released by the party's state unit president Gopal Italia. Elections to the 182-member Gujarat Legislative Assembly are due by the end of this year. However, the poll schedule is yet to be announced. Ten out of these 13 seats are currently held by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while the opposition Congress holds three others. Two seats - Kadi and Kalavad - are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates, while three - Sankheda, Mandvi and Mahuva are reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates, he said. The candidates include a retired government officer, doctor, lawyer and industrialist, Italia told reporters. The seats on which the names of candidates were announced on Friday are Kadi (SC), Gandhinagar (North), Wadhwan, Morbi, Jasdan,

AAP accuses Delhi L-G of not approving 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off' campaign

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Friday accused the lieutenant governor of making excuses for not giving timely approval for the 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off' campaign and questioned his seriousness about the level of pollution in the national capital. Setting the stage for a fresh confrontation with Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, the AAP government on Thursday had said it was postponing the launch of the campaign as the LG's office was yet to approve it. However, sources in the LG office alleged that Rai did not speak the truth about the date of the roll-out of the campaign and claimed that the AAP dispensation did so to coerce the LG into taking a decision. "LG is either not aware of seriousness of pollution or making excuses for not giving timely nod to 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off' drive. I appeal to him to give the approval as soon as possible," Rai said at a press conference on Friday. Talking about the difference in dates of the permission sought from the LG and the launch o