AAP mayoral nominee’s papers rejected, party moves court

A controversy has erupted over the rejection of AAP’s mayoral candidate Neetu Maan’s nomination due to an issue with her voter registration transfer. The party has now approached the court for relief, while its covering candidate’s nomination has been accepted following scrutiny by the election department.

The civic body elections, including for the mayoral post and ward representatives, are scheduled for March 2. Reports indicate that Maan’s nomination was rejected because her vote registration did not match her current residence. Her application for voter transfer had not been processed within the required timeframe, leading to the disqualification. According to rules, it takes seven days to update an address in voter records after submitting a request.

Claiming that legal intervention would likely provide relief by February 24, AAP spokesperson Abhash Chandela said, "Neetu Maan is most likely to contest the election, as she will fulfil the required conditions. If her nomination is approved, Nisha Dalal Faujdar, the covering candidate, may withdraw later."

Maan received support from Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) chief Udai Bhan when she filed her nomination on Monday.

Following the official scrutiny on Tuesday, election authorities released the list of six mayoral candidates: Nisha Dalal Faujdar AAP (covering candidate), Parveen Joshi (BJP), Mansha Paswan (BSP), Lata Rani (Congress), Anjana Sharma and Sangeeta Yadav (Independents).

The State Election Commission has designated the following officials as observers for the civic body elections — police observer IG Rajshri Singh, general observer Anita Yadav, expenditure observer Sunila Singh (DETC).