The political turmoil intensified before the assembly elections in Gujarat. The Aam Aadmi Party, on 15th November 2022 accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of kidnapping its candidate Kanchan Jariwala. On 16th November 2022, Jariwala reached the election officer’s office amid police security to withdraw his nomination. The Aam Aadmi Party gave a ticket to Jariwala from the Surat East assembly constituency. But now Kanchan Jariwala has withdrawn his candidature.
High voltage drama: Candidate from Surat (East), Kanchan Jariwala reached to withdraw the nomination form.
— Tv9 Gujarati (@tv9gujarati) November 16, 2022
AAP claims BJP pressure. #GujaratElections2022 #TV9News pic.twitter.com/C991XPe6pP
Kanchan Jariwala had suddenly gone missing claimed Aam Aadmi Party. Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party’s CM candidate in Gujarat Isudan Gadhvi accused the BJP of being involved in the disappearance of Kanchan Jariwala. According to Isudan Gadhvi, Kanchan Jariwala and his entire family were missing.
Isudan Gadhvi wrote in his tweet on November 15, “THE BJP is so scared of AAP that it has come to hooliganism! The BJP was following our Kanchan Jariwala, who was contesting from Surat East, for a few days and today he is missing! His family is also missing! It is believed that BJP goons have taken him away.”
भाजपा ‘आप’ से इतनी डरी हुई है की वो गुंडागर्दी पर आ गई है !सूरत ईस्ट से चुनाव लड़ रहे हमारे कंचन जरिवाला के पीछे भाजपा वाले कुछ दिनो से पीछे पड़े हुए थे और आज वो ग़ायब है !माना जा रहा है की भाजपा के गुंडो ने उन्हें उठा ले गए है ! उनका परिवार भी ग़ायब है !भाजपा कितनी गिरेगी ?
— Isudan Gadhvi (@isudan_gadhvi) November 15, 2022
Arvind Kejriwal also tweeted about this on 16th November 2022. He wrote, “Our candidate from Surat (East), Kanchan Jariwala, and his family missing since yesterday. First, BJP tried to get his nomination rejected. But his nomination was accepted. Later, he was pressurised to withdraw his nomination. Has he been kidnapped?”
Our candidate from Surat (East), Kanchan Jariwala, and his family missing since yesterday. First, BJP tried to get his nomination rejected. But his nomination was accepted. Later, he was being pressurised to withdraw his nomination.
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 16, 2022
Has he been kidnapped?
Within an hour of Arvind Kejriwal tweeting this, Kanchan Jariwala reached the office of the election officer to withdraw his nomination.
#WATCH | Gujarat: AAP candidate from Surat (East) from Gujarat, Kanchan Jariwala, takes back his nomination after he was allegedly kidnapped last evening pic.twitter.com/E1vqqkveNi
— ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2022
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and AAP leader Manish Sisodia reached the Election Commission in the matter of withdrawal of Jariwala’s nomination. He said, “I was scheduled at 2 pm to go to the Election Commission but now there is a state of emergency. So I have to talk about this matter as soon as possible.”
AAP leader Raghav Chadha held a press conference on Wednesday morning in which he said, “Kanchan Jariwala, AAP candidate from Surat East, has been kidnapped by BJP goons. The AAP candidate has been in BJP’s custody since yesterday morning. The BJP is so nervous that it is kidnapping the AAP candidate. This is the murder of democracy.”
This hilarity invoked reactions from people who mocked this as political drama instigated by Aam Aadmi Party.
— Rofl Democrazy (@FakeerHun) November 16, 2022
Some even sarcastically said how BJP is so afraid of Aam Aadmi Party.
— Rofl Democrazy (@FakeerHun) November 16, 2022
BJP has been in power in Gujarat since 1998 and has traditionally been a two-party state, with other party being Congress.
This is fake news.
— Vijay Patel🇮🇳 (@vijaygajera) November 16, 2022
My sources in AAP are saying that AAP has instructed him to do this.
He will come into the media in the next one to two days to blame BJP but as usual without any evidence!
Twitter users also pointed out how this has been a standard modus operandi of AAP leaders to create an air of “BJP is afraid” every time elections are close or they are found not doing their own work properly.
Gujarat will go to polls in December this year with results being declared on 8th December 2022.