EC sends show cause notice to AAP leader Atishi over her claims of BJP’s attempt to poach her

The Election Commission sent a show cause notice to Aam Aadmi Party Leader Atishi on Friday over her claims that the BJP has made attempts to poach her, threatening arrest by the Enforcement Directorate “within a month” if she does not join the BJP. She has been asked to submit her response by 5 pm on Saturday.

This came after the BJP filed a defamation suit against Atishi, over the same remark and demanded a public apology for making such allegations. "We have given a legal notice to (Atishi ) to provide evidence, we will not let her escape. This time she has to answer," Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said on Wednesday.

In a press conference on Friday, Atishi alleged that the BJP had first leaked the Election Commission notice to the media and then sent it to her. “At 11:15 am, news channels flashed that a notice had been sent to me. Half an hour later, I received the notice in an email. This means that the BJP first planted the Election Commission notice in the media and then the notice was sent to me. I ask the election commission, are you a subsidiary organisation of the BJP?”

On Tuesday, Atishi held a press conference where she alleged that the BJP was trying to poach her. “BJP had reached out to a close associate of mine with the proposal that I either join BJP or face ED action. BJP’s proposal is I either join them, expand or save my political career, or else ED will arrest me in the next one month,” said Atishi. She further claimed that three other AAP leaders, namely Saurabh Bharadwaj, Durgesh Pathak and Raghav Chadha will be arrested in the coming days, before the Lok Sabha Elections.