The Election Commission has asked Atishi to file her response by 5 pm this Saturday. (File)
New Delhi:
The Election Commission of India has sent a notice to Delhi minister Atishi over an alleged poll code violation, days after she claimed the BJP had threatened her with arrest if she didn’t switch sides. Stating that the BJP has complained about her remarks, the poll body asked the AAP leader to file her response by 5 pm this Saturday.
The EC said since she’s a minister, voters tend to believe what she says in public, and if contested she must be able to back her remarks on a factual basis. “You are hereby called upon to furnish your para-wise response to the matter latest by 17.00 hrs of 6th April, 2024,” said the EC.
Atishi, who is among the top leaders tasked with running the AAP affairs following Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest last month, earlier this week claimed the BJP had offered her to switch sides to save her political career.
Read | Delhi BJP Sues AAP’s Atishi After She Claimed Offer To Switch Over
“The BJP has approached me through someone very close. They have asked me to join the BJP and said this will save my political career. They have threatened that if I don’t switch over, ED (Enforcement Directorate) will arrest me within a month,” she had claimed Tuesday.
The claim prompted a defamation notice from the BJP camp and a demand for a public apology.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said she didn’t provide evidence of who approached her, how, and when. “The AAP is undergoing a crisis in Delhi, which is why they are making such baseless allegations out of frustration. But we will not let her get away with this,” he had said.
Read | Atishi Claims BJP Switch Offer, Says These AAP Leaders To Be Arrested Soon
They also filed a complaint with the Election Commission, calling Atishi’s remarks misleading and unverified.
The model code of conduct is in place across the country due to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, which is a three-month exercise this time and dubbed by the world as its largest festival of democracy.