AAP compromising clean politics for Arvind Kejriwal in Varanasi?

New Delhi – Has the numbers game finally taken over Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s professed claim to do clean politics? Jailed don Mukhtar Ansari’s withdrawal from the Varanasi contest comes amidst indications that minority community leaders had expressed support for AAP and acted as a bridge to convince Ansari. The tacit support — that will make Varanasi a contest between BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Kejriwal — comes at a time when ADR data suggests that 15% of the AAP’s 200 can ..

Asked about Ansari’s decision to withdraw candidature from Varanasi, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal who is contesting from the same seat told reporters in Amritsar, “Congress and BJP have to be removed from the country to corruption. And for this, all the forces must join hands.” His statement fueled speculation that the party was willing to wink at the “tainted”background of Ansari- accused in cases of murder and rioting- to raise its stock among Muslims ahead of a contest whose outcome will ha ..

Mukhtar who gave a tough fight to BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi in Varanasi in 2009 Lok Sabha election, on Thursday announced that he will not to fight against Narendra Modi from the seat “to avoid division of “secular” votes.”

It is learnt that the community leaders had impressed upon him to consider the proposition. Earlier, Ansari’s brother Afzal Ansari claimed that AAP representatives had approached him to seek a withdrawal, a proposal he rejected. When AAP denied this, Afzal Ansari claimed he had CCTV footage of his meeting five AAP representatives. When asked if the party had held talks or was looking for an alliance with Ansari, AAP spokesperson Nagendra Sharma denied this saying, “No AAP office-bearer has met o ..

An Ansari-AAP understanding will affect the chances of Congress’s candidate Ajay Rai.

AAP leaders have made several overtures towards the minority community to gain their confidence post the Delhi assembly elections. It has given 8%, about 37 of its 430 odd seats, to Muslim candidates (higher than BJP and Congress put together). “Kejriwal’s direct challenge to Modi from Varanasi has also sent out a clear message to the community that AAP and not Congress was the party to challenge BJP,” Sanjay Singh, AAP leader said.

The possibility of a Kejriwal- Ansari tie up coincided with a report of Association for Democratic Reforms sayng that 15% of 200 candidates of AAP have criminal charges while 10 have serious criminal charges pending against them. Ironically, party leaders had used ADR’s data to “name and shame” 70 legislators with heinous cases against them and in fact has made anti-corruption a poll issue both in the 2012 assembly and parliamentary election. However on Friday, , Singh dismissed this charge as ..

He said, “The cases that our candidates have against them are politically motivated. These candidates were charged when they spoke against authority or raised their voice against injustice.”