Tytler files nomination from N-E Delhi for primaries

The other seat where primaries is being held — New Delhi — had received just one nomination, that of sitting MP Ajay Maken.

The nomination filed by Tytler was quick to fan protests on Tuesday. He had withdrawn his candidature in the previous Lok Sabha elections after political parties and Sikh groups raised questions over his candidature, citing his alleged role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Youth Akali Dal Delhi president and Rajouri Garden MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Tuesday said, “It is a conspiracy weaved by the Congress. It is their attempt to appear democratic. Tytler may have filed his nomination but the party won’t give him a ticket in order to gain sympathy and votes.”

Former journalist and AAP leader Jarnail Singh, who is challenging Congress heavy-weight Mahabal Mishra from the West Delhi parliamentary constituency, said, “The Congress is a party of rioters and corrupt people. I am not surprised by the fact that Jagdish Tytler has filed a nomination.”

Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely defended Tytler and said, “It’s a new experiment that is being inducted into the party. It is aimed at creating grassroot democracy and Jagdish Tytler practised that today,” he said.

Speaking to Newsline, a day before filing his nominations, Tytler had said, “I have never been named in a case registered against me. These allegations are baseless.”

Senior Congress leaders said the Opposition’s criticism regarding Tytler’s nomination was unfounded as it was unlikely that Tytler’s nomination would get past the scrutiny stage because of the cases against him.

The CBI had filed a closure report in the case against Tytler, but this was rejected by the sessions court last year.

Additional Sessions Judge Anuradha Shukla Bajaj had directed the CBI to re-examine the witnesses against Tytler, including the three witnesses who had come before court claiming that their statements had not been taken by the CBI.

“Tytler approached the High Court against the sessions court order and sought a stay on it, but the High Court rejected the plea after which he approached the Supreme Court for the same. But the SC again declined the plea,” senior advocate H S Phoolka, who is representing the families of the victims of the 1984 riots, said.

Scrutiny and symbol allocation to candidates will take place on March 6, following which primaries election will be held on March 11 – in two rounds. The voters’ list has not been finalised yet. Congress sources said there are approximately 350 voters until now.

Parul Arya is a student of EXIMS