President’s nod to AAP MLA ouster

President Ram Nath Kovind has approved the Election Commission's recommendation to disqualify 20 AAP MLAs for holding ‘office of profit’. The MLAs were appointed parliamentary secretaries by the Arvind Kejriwal government in 2015 by virtue of which they were entitled to certain perks that the EC felt violated the ‘Office of Profit’ law.

The AAP government had tried to push a Bill through the Delhi Assembly, giving protection to parliamentary secretaries under the Office of Profit law. But, the then President Pranab Mukherjee did not give his assent to the Bill. The disqualification of the 20 lawmakers will not impact the AAP government in the Delhi assembly. Even though its numbers will now be down to 46 from 66, this is well past the half-way mark of 35.

By-elections must be held in these 20 seats within six months; this could be a kind of referendum for the AAP government and a virtual ‘mini election’ that will test the preparedness of both the BJP and the Congress in the run up to the general election.

Party leader Ashutosh said the President's order was "unconstitutional and dangerous for democracy." Minister Gopal Rai said, "AAP will knock at the doors of the Supreme Court, if need be".

Alka Lamba, one of the 20 disqualified AAP MLAs, said the party would appeal against the decision. “It is unfortunate that the President took the decision in such haste, without giving us chance to speak. We have trust in the judiciary. The doors of the Apex Court are still open for us,” she said.

AAP legislators, who had moved the Delhi High Court on Friday, did not get any interim relief. In September 2016, the court had cancelled the AAP government's order appointing the legislators as parliamentary secretaries as it lacked the approval of the Lieutenant Governor, the administrative head of Delhi.