New Delhi: Hours after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal wrote a letter to the Election Commission (EC) alleging ‘intimidation and harassment’ of its workers by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the latter wrote back saying there are no written complaints registered against such allegations.
In his letter on Sunday, Kejriwal urged the EC to appoint independent observers in the New Delhi constituency, where he is contesting the upcoming Assembly elections. The Delhi Police also assured of strict action after Kejriwal alleged that some men had surrounded his party’s van and torn down the party’s posters.
The EC’s letter said, “District Election Officer (DEO), New Delhi stated that regarding allegations against BJP workers for intimidating and harassing AAP volunteers in New Delhi Assembly Constituency, as reported by police as well as on perusal of available records in his office, no written complaints could be traced in most of the cases.”
All allegations are probed invariably: EC
“However, it has also been informed that whenever written complaints are received from any political party citing such allegations, all such matters are investigated invariably by laws & ECI norms, and appropriate action as per ECI norms is either initiated or recommended in all such cases,” it added.
Reply to the issues raised by Sh Arvind Kejriwal, National Convener, Aam Aadmi Party @aamaadmiparty@arvindkejriwal pic.twitter.com/PZ4tO18qQF
— CEO, Delhi Office (@CeodelhiOffice) February 2, 2025
Pointing out that general observers and police observes have already been deployed in all constituencies in Delhi, it added, “As far as the issue of Independent Observer is concerned, it is to inform that General Observers, Expenditure Observers, and Police Observers have already been deployed for all Constituencies including New Delhi Constituency.”
What Kejriwal wrote in his letter
“I am writing to express my grave concern over the intimidation and harassment being meted out to our grass-root volunteers in the New Delhi Assembly Constituency at the hands of BJP workers and Delhi Police in the run-up to election day,” The Former Chief Minister alleged in his letter on Sunday. He further wrote, “Yesterday, our senior volunteer Chetan (Resident of Princess Park Part-2) was unlawfully detained and booked under section 126 of BNSS, 2023 at Tilak Marg Police Station, on the baseless and fictitious grounds that he has previous cases registered against him, while there are none.