EC recommends disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ The Election Commission has recommended to President Ram Nath Kovind to disqualify 20 Aam Aadmi Party legislators for allegedly holding offices of profit as Parliamentary Secretaries. The party will be approaching judicial authorities and appeal the matter.

If cleared by the Office of the President, the disqualification would mean that of Arvind-Kejriwal led AAP’s cabinet will be reduced to 47 from the existing 67. While the President’s decision remains to be seen, the disqualification may tarnish the image of a rather unconventional political party which came to power promising corruption-free governance.

Vijender Gupta, Leader of Opposition, said, “It is a delayed action by the election commission. Now the ball is in the court of the honourable President of India.”  The Congress had on June 9, 2016, moved the poll panel to seek disqualification of 21 AAP MLAs and has been pursuing the matter ever since.

In October last year, the EC had issued a notice to the Aam Aadmi Party lawmakers for an explanation. In June 2017, the EC rejected the MLAs pleas to drop the “office of profit” case against them and ruled that the disqualification proceedings against them will continue.