MCD polls: BJP accuses AAP over ‘bribe in exchange of tickets’
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A war of words has begun between two main contenders of Delhi civic polls, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), that are scheduled to take place on December 4 to elect 250 councillors of the municipal corporation in the national capital.
The incumbent BJP in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has launched another scathing attack on Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP over taking bribery in exchange of ticket for MCD elections.
Addressing a press conference here, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said, “AAP leaders are demanding ₹80 lakh for giving tickets in MCD elections. AAP leader Bindu Shriram was asked for a bribe in exchange of ticket from Rohini Ward 54.”
He released another ‘sting’ video and accused Aam Aadmi Party of corruption and taking money from candidates for tickets of the upcoming civic polls.
“We will show you a video of Ward no. 54, Rohini D today. Bindu ji is here with us, who earlier was in Congress. She later went to AAP as she was promised a ticket from Ward no. 54. At first, Bindu paid ₹21 lakh and then Goyal asked her to make full payment before getting a ticket for MCD elections,” Patra added.
“AAP always says that its mission is to fight corruption. However, the party itself is ‘maha thug’,” the spokesperson further alleged.
This video came days after the Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested AAP MLA Akhilesh Tripathi’s brother-in-law Om Singh, his aide Shiv Shankar Pandey and Prince Raghuvanshi for taking a bribe of ₹90 lakh from a party worker in exchange of nomination for upcoming Delhi civic polls.
The incident came to light on last Monday after a Gopal Khari, who stated that he is associated with the AAP as an active worker since 2014, approached the ACB with the complaint, according to an official statement on Wednesday.
Khari had met Model Town legislator Tripathi last Wednesday with a request to secure a councillor ticket from the AAP for his wife for Ward No. 69 in Kamla Nagar, the ACB said. Tripathi had demanded ₹90 lakh for it, following which Khari had paid ₹35 lakh to him.
The BJP has been in power in the MCD — trifurcated in 2012 into north, south and east corporations and then unified this year — for three straight terms. The civic polls are largely being seen as a three-cornered contest between the BJP, the AAP and the Congress.
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