Election Commission disqualifies AAP candidate

NOIDA: The Aam Aadmi Party does not have a candidate in the Noida (Gautam Budh Nagar) parliamentary seat after its nominee, Shweta Sharma, was disqualified on Tuesday in bizarre circumstances.

Sharma (38), whose nomination form was rejected on “technical grounds” because it did not have the names of 10 proposers, alleged she was given no time to make the correction.

AAP’s district spokesperson said the party would move the Election Commission and the high court, accusing the local administration of acting under pressure from the ruling BJP.

Explaining why Sharma’s nomination had been rejected, district magistrate and returning officer BN Singh told TOI, “AAP is not recognised as a national party or a state party in the Election Commission’s list of recognised parties in Uttar Pradesh. So it was supposed to provide the name of 10 proposers in the nomination form. But AAP submitted the name of only one proposer, which was a substantive flaw.”

Refuting AAP’s allegation, Singh added, “The nomination was cancelled as per rules of the Election Commission of India. All nomination forms are in public domain. There is no question of the action being politically motivated.”

Sharma, whose first election this was to be, acknowledged the error in her form but said she should have been given a chance to rectify it. “The DM had the power, but he denied me the right under Section 33 (4) of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951, even though I had gone to his office with all 10 proposers in person,” she said.

“It was a clear case of political pressure, which worked against me. Anyway, I’m not let down, only disappointed. My party leaders will take further action in the matter. I will continue to fight for women’s rights, education and against corruption,” said Sharma, a former teacher, who is currently pursuing her PhD in environmental management.

AAP’s district spokesperson AK Singh said his plea for relief was denied. “On Monday, we submitted the nomination form at 2.40pm and they reported the error around 5pm. We were called for scrutiny at 11am on Tuesday. We reached the office at 10am with all documents and all 10 proposers were physically present. Around 1.30pm, we were given only half an hour to clarify our stand,” he said. “I pleaded for relief, but it was denied. This amounts to denying us our democratic rights. The party will challenge the cancellation of the nomination in the high court. We will also move the EC.”

EC sources said they had no role in the disqualification. “The decision is quasi-judicial and we cannot advise the returning officer,” a source said.

Union minister and BJP’s candidate from Noida Mahesh Sharma said AAP’s allegations were “baseless”. “These are administrative procedures done as per rules of the EC. No party can influence these things,” Sharma told TOI.