‘Corrupt Practices’: AAP Leader Moves HC Against Bansuri Swaraj’s LS Poll Win From New Delhi

New Delhi: A month and a half after losing in the Lok Sabha election from New Delhi constituency, AAP leader Somnath Bharti has approached the Delhi High Court challenging the victory of BJP’s Bansuri Swaraj.

Bharti, who was the joint candidate of AAP-Congress alliance, has claimed that Bansuri – daughter of the Late Sushma Swaraj — won due to ‘corrupt practices.’

“The present election petition is filed by the petitioner under Sections 80 and 81 of the Representation of People Act challenging the election of the respondent no.1 (Swaraj) on the grounds of ‘corrupt practices’ indulged into by the respondent no.1, her election agent, and other persons with the consent of the person during the course of the election on May 25,” the plea stated.

“On the voting day, the petitioner during his visits to various booths of the New Delhi parliamentary constituency, was ‘shocked’ to see that booth agents of the respondent no. 1 had her pamphlets displaying her ballot number, photo, election symbol, and photo of prime minister Narendra Modi. These were showing the same to voters… such an act certainly qualifies to be a corrupt practice. This was also reported to the respondent no. 3 (returning officer) but all in vain,” the petition mentioned.

Delhi voted in the sixth leg of the national polls, the second-last phase of the exercise.

Bansuri, a lawyer by profession, secured 453,185 votes on her electoral debut, while Bharti, also a lawyer, got 374,815 votes, as per Election Commission of India data.

BJP won all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi for the third consecutive time.