AAP’s Adarsh now an independent candidate!
LUCKNOW: Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Allahabad candidate Adarsh Shastri will also contest as an independent candidate from Lucknow Lok Sabha seat, as he failed to withdraw his nomination from the state capital within the stipulated deadline. Consequently the poll officials declared Shastri, who is campaigning in Allahabad, as an independent candidate with belt as his election symbol.
“His nomination was not withdrawn till 3 pm on Saturday, the deadline for the process,” said Vinod Kumar assistant returning officer for Lok Sabha parliamentary seat.
To recall, two AAP candidates Jaaved Jaaferi and Adarsh Shashtri, had filed nomination papers from Lucknow Lok Sabha fearing that Jaaferi’s candidature may be cancelled since he declared himself as a local voter living here ‘for more than three months’. But Jaaferi’s name was cleared during scrutiny on Thursday. Then Shastri, the covering candidate, had to, as per the norm, withdraw his nomination.
“His proposer turned up but with incomplete documents. The candidate had not signed the nomination withdrawal papers. So his application for withdrawal was not considered,” Kumar added.
Consequently, the poll officials included Shastri’s name in the list of independent candidates with belt as election symbol.
“I could not turn up as was tied up in Allahabad. Though I had sent the signed documents through fax and mail,” Shashtri told HT on phone. I will come to Lucknow and campaign for Jaaved Jaaferi, he added.
Meanwhile, the administration allotted symbols to all the candidates of Lucknow and Mohanlalganj seats. In all 29 and 18 candidates are in fray from Lucknow and Mohanlalganj parliamentary seats going to polls on April 30.