Ahmedabad: The Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat has forwarded an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member's complaint seeking cancellation of BJP prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi's candidature from polls, to returning officers of Vadodara and Ahmedabad, for further action.
The AAP complaint had sought cancellation of Modi's candidature from 2012 assembly and 2014 Lok Sabha polls in connection with his marital status. "The letter (containing complaint) has been forwarded to Collector and District Election Officer, Vadodara and Ahmedabad for further appropriate action by the concerned returning officer," Jaydeep Dwivedi, Joint Chief Electoral Officer of state, said in a letter to the complainant.
When inquired about the AAP complaint, Dwivedi said, "It is a routine process, we have forwarded it to the collector and returning officer of Vadodara and Ahmedabad and when we receive the reply then we shall decide about the future course of action."
The complaint was filed by a city-based Aam Aadmi Party worker Nishant Verma who had sought cancellation of the result of Mannagar assembly seat from where Modi won the election.
AAP worker Nishant Verma who is the complainant received this letter yesterday, which he has forwarded to all reporters. The complaint was made by Verma on April 10, while the letter from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat was dated April 30.
Verma had demanded disqualification of Narendra Modi from contesting the 2014 Lok Sabha poll, alleging that he had not mentioned his wife's name earlier and hence he had lied on oath in his affidavit. The controversy over Modi's marital status was triggered off after he filed nomination for the Vadodara Lok Sabha seat, stating for the first time that he is married to one Jashodaben.
In an earlier assembly election, Modi had left the column meant to mention spouse, blank. In the 2012 state assembly election also, Modi had left the column specified for spouse as blank. However, in the Lok Sabha election 2014's affidavit, in the column where he had to declare assets in the name of his wife, Modi wrote that he had no information about it.
The issue turned political after political opponents parties including Congress and Aam Aadmi Party approached the Election Commission (EC) in connection with this issue. As soon as Modi filed his papers, Congress leader Kapil Sibbal moved the EC against Modi, alleging that he had been 'hiding' facts. Sibal also claimed that Modi had never revealed that he is married, in all eleven affidavits he filed earlier.
In the second complaint, filed by Congress candidate from Vadodara Lok Sabha seat Madhusudan Mistry, it was alleged that Modi didn't give sufficient information about his wife Jashodaben. Mistry alleged that except Modi's wife's name, no other information, including her PAN number or investments, is mentioned in the affidavit. During his visit to Gujarat, Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath said that the matter is being examined.
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