Congress, BJP begin planning for possible bypolls as 20 AAP MLAs face disqualification

Sensing an opportunity to open its account in the Delhi Assembly, the Congress has started planning for possible bypolls to the 20 seats after the Election Commission's recommendation to disqualify 20 AAP MLAs for holding offices of profit. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which has 4 MLAs in the 70-member house has also begun preparations for the possible bypolls to 20 assembly constituency. 

The BJP leaders discussed the issue in a meeting of the party's core committee members last night, party sources said.

"The matter was discussed in detail along with other issues like the sealing drive underway in north and south Delhi," said a senior party leader who attended the meeting.

"The BJP feels that the Election Commission's recommendation for disqualifying 20 AAP MLAs is an opportunity to weaken the ruling party's stranglehold in the Assembly," the party leader said.

Congress sources said the party functionaries on Friday discussed the emerging scenario and possible elections in the 20 Assembly segments. The meeting was attended by Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken and AICC incharge of the state unit PC Chacko.

"The discussions centred around the disqualification of 20 MLAs and bypolls in the affected constituencies. It was decided to hold conventions in all the 20 constituencies in coming days," said a senior party leader who attended the meeting.

The Delhi Congress will also hold a demonstration against the Kejriwal government on the issue of "corruption" on Tuesday, he said.

Chacko suggested focusing on booths in the 20 constituencies and strengthen party organisation at booth- level, he said.

Besides Maken and Chacko, senior party leaders including Sajjan Kumar, Mahabal Mishra, and former MLAs attended the meeting.

The ruling AAP had bagged an impressive 67 seats in the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections. Since then, two by-elections were held in which the ruling party and the BJP got one seat each.

the Election Commission had yesterday asked President Ram Nath Kovind to disqualify 20 of its MLAs for holding offices of profit, setting the stage for their ouster from the Assembly.

In its opinion sent to the president, the poll panel said the MLAs, by occupying the post of parliamentary secretaries between March 13, 2015 and September 8, 2016, held offices of profit, and were liable to be disqualified as legislators, highly-placed sources said.

Once the President accepts the ECs opinion, the MLAs stand disqualified and by-elections will have to be held for the 20 Assembly seats. 

Reacting to the recommendation, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia claimed that AAP hadn’t been given a chance to explain its stand and said they wanted to get the President’s view and that MLAs also wanted to meet President Kovind.

(With PTI inputs)