Aam Aadmi Party to approach HC challenging nomination of South Delhi candidate Ramesh Bidhuri for alleged 'discrepancies'

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday said that the party’s South Delhi Lok Sabha candidate, Raghav Chadha, will challenge the Returning Officer’s (RO) decision to accept nomination papers of BJP candidate Ramesh Bidhuri. The party said that it will move the High Court since the Returning Officer has erred by “overlooking glaring discrepancies in Bidhuri’s nomination”. “The BJP candidate has failed to declare in paragraph 5(ii) particulars of pending criminal proceedings, particularly CC No. 303/2018 filed in P.S. Kazimahammadpur, Muzaffarpur, Bihar, under Sections 504, 506, 153 and 153(a) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860,” the AAP release said. [caption id=“attachment_5355701” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] “The BJP candidate has failed to disclose particulars of LIC Policy No. 112747965 for sum assured of Rs 1,00,000 with a premium of Rs 2829 half yearly, though the same was disclosed in the Form 26 Declaration in the year 2014,” it further read. The party also stated that Bidhuri has disclosed a false total income of Rs 8,79,150 for the year 2013-14 as opposed to the amount of Rs 6,16,995 demonstrated by his Form 26 Declaration for the year 2014. “The matter is sub-judice and is before the Returning Officer. So, it would be improper on my part to comment on the merits of the matter. Today the nomination got concluded and the scrutiny period has begun,” Chadha said. “In the scrutiny, AAP has raised certain concerns about the nomination of BJP candidate as there are some glaring infirmities and false disclosures made him. The facts are such that it makes a clear case for rejection of the nomination,” he added. Responding to allegations, Bidhuri said: “We all know what kind of conspiracies they have hatched in Delhi. The Returning Officer has said that it is a matter of election petition. My nomination is clear. India will be run by the Constitution, not by Kejriwal’s anarchy.” In his reply to the RO on the objection, Bidhuri stated: “The deponent had no knowledge about the registration of the FIR earing No.303/2018 PS Kazimahammadpur, Muzaffarpur, Bihar under section 504, 506, 153 and 153(a) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. It is further submitted that the deponent has neither been called by the police nor has he been summoned by the concerned court at any point of time in the above-noted case. That the deponent has learnt about the alleged FIR today itself during the scrutiny.” With 7 Lok Sabha seats at stake, Delhi will go to polls on 12 May.