Office of profit: EC recommends 20 AAP MLAs be disqualified

NEW DELHI: In a massive blow to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Election Commission has recommended to the President that 20 legislators of his Aam Aadmi Party be disqualified for holding offices of profit as parliamentary secretaries.

Once the President approves the recommendation, by-elections will have to be held for the 20 assembly seats. The ruling AAP has a giant majority in the 70-member Delhi assembly with 66 seats and the disqualification will not endanger the Arvind Kejriwal government. It will come down to 46 seats, still comfortably across the half-way mark at 35.

AAP legislators challenged the poll panel's decision in the Delhi High Court, but did not get any interim relief.

The party's Saurabh Bhardwaj said, "Office of Profit is when someone benefits. I want to ask do they use official bunglow or car? None of them can be accused of earning any salary or official facility. This entire matter was to be presented before the Election Commission. Till now there has been no hearing in this case before the Election Commission. The basic principle of justice is that the accused in the matter is given a chance to explain their point of view. No MLAs were summoned; they were not given chance to explain their version."

Kejriwal and his party have insisted that the appointments violate no rules as none of the AAP legisators draw salaries as parliament secretaries. But rival parties have argued that the posts allowed them perks like offices and cars and so were offices of profit.

AAP leader Ashutosh lashed out at the poll panel, saying the EC had never "touched so low ever".

"The EC should not be the letterbox of the PMO. But that is the reality today," tweeted the journalist-turned-politician.

After the EC recommendations, both the Congress and the BJP demanded chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's resignation.

"In the end, truth prevails," tweeted Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday following the Election Commission's recommendation to disqualify 20 MLAs of his party.