President upholds AAP MLAS’ disqualification

NEWDELHI: In a big blow to Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), President Ram Nath Kovind approved the Election Commission’s recommendation to disqualify 20 party MLAS for violating the law against holding office of profit, a government notification said on Sunday.

These 20 MLAS, including Delhi’s transport minister Kailash Gahlot, were parliamentary secretaries in the government, a post that the EC said can be considered an office of profit.

Rashtrapati Bhavan’s decision came a day before the Delhi high court is scheduled to hear the appeal of six AAP legislators against the poll panel on Monday. But on Sunday, the party quickly changed its tactics. Spokesperson Raghav Chadha said: “We will file a fresh petition in the high court challenging the government’s notification on disqualification.” It was learnt that Kovind signed the file before leaving for a two-day trip to Gujarat on Sunday morning.

“The speed at which the President delivered a 120-page order raises suspicion about many institutions,” said Saurabh Bhardwaj, another AAP spokesperson.

Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP, which swept the Delhi elections in 2015 and came to power with 67 MLAS in the 70-member assembly, is now reduced to 46 MLAS. One legislator, Jarnail Singh, had quit from the assembly last year to contest elections in Punjab.

Chief minister Kejriwal’s party still has enough MLAS to run the government, but it might be more vulnerable now with fewer seats.