AAP embarrassment: Candidate Javed Jafri not registered as a voter?

New Delhi, April 10: What hope is left for a party which had to find out at the last moment of filing nominations that one of its proposed candidates is not a registered voter anywhere in the country?

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was in for a shock on Wednesday when it found that its nominee for Lucknow seat Javed Jafri was yet to get himself registered as a voter in the constituency.

Later the party had to put up Adarsh Shastri as a 'covering candidate' fearing that Jafry's papers might have some anomalies.

Shastri, grandson of former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, is contesting from Allahabad as well.

Although senior AAP leaders tried to defend the party saying covering candidate was a precautionary measure, the incident fostered suspicion that Jafri's papers had anomalies. On Tuesday night, an email was sent from the ID [email protected] to several media persons, accusing Jafri of using manipulation to get himself registered as a voter in Lucknow.

According to reports, Jafri came to collectorate to file nomination along with wife and AAP volunteers. After half an hour, Shastri arrived at the office. "I am here on the instructions of the party high command and would be filing nomination as a covering candidate", said Shastri when asked.

According to sources, Jafri lives in Mumbai and he had last voted in 2008. Sources said that his name got deleted from the voter list due to some reason and since then he was not registered as a voter anywhere in India.

However, AAP state spokesperson Vaibhav Maheshwari told TOI that Jafri has been registered as a voter from Mohanlalganj constituency and he is a resident of Rae Bareli. All has been furnished along with his nomination paper.

Oneindia News