AAP's claim stands vindicated: Chadha after EC relaxes norms for registration of parties

New Delhi: A day after the EC reduced the period for registration of new political parties, the AAP on Saturday said its claim stood vindicated and accused the poll panel of relaxing the norms in the middle of the elections to damage the poll prospects of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party in Punjab "under a conspiracy".

The AAP had on Thursday claimed that the Election Commission (EC) was going to register a new political party by bringing changes in its rules at the behest of the BJP in the middle of elections to stop the party from winning assembly polls in Punjab and forming its government in the state, an allegation the poll panel later dismissed, terming it "factually incorrect".

Addressing a press conference at the party's headquarters here on Saturday, AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha asked the EC and the BJP to disclose the name of the "political morcha" for which the rules were changed "overnight". The AAP leader, however, refused to name the political party in question, saying it will soon be known to everybody.

The EC on Friday announced the reduction of notice period for registration of new political parties in the five poll-going states from 30 days to 7 days, keeping in view difficulties caused by COVID-19-induced curbs.

"The Election Commission of India came with a circular on January 14 saying that it has reduced the 30-day notice period to 7 days in view of the political parties facing some difficulties in submitting their registration form and completing other formalities due to COVID-19 pandemic," Chadha told reporters on Saturday.

"With this, the AAP's prediction, apprehension, suspicion, information has turned into belief," the AAP leader said, terming the Commission's notification "documentary evidence" of the claims that AAP had made in this on Thursday.

Raising objections to the Election Commission's decision, Chadha, who is co-in charge of the AAP's political affairs in Punjab, alleged that the EC has brought in changes in its rules to register a new political party "under a conspiracy" to defeat "the AAP and Arvind Kejriwal's honest politics" in the assembly polls.

"Under a big conspiracy, a new political party is being registered, perhaps to cut the votes of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)... This is our apprehension. It is bothering us,"

he said. He asked both the poll panel and the BJP to disclose the name of the party for whose registration the rules were relaxed "overnight".