Fearing that its winning candidates may defect to the ruling BJP after the Goa assembly election results are announced, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today made its 39 candidates sign affidavits and take an oath of loyalty to the party and that of refraining from corruption. All the 39 candidates took the oath in the presence of AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He is in Goa on a four-day visit. The AAP said that these legal affidavits will be distributed to voters and Goans can use them to sue the candidates in case they breach their trust.

Speaking on the occasion, Kejriwal said that the nature of Goa’s politics had necessitated the affidavits. “There two key problems with Goa’s politics – first, there is too much corruption. Goa government is one of the richest governments in the country. Despite that, the people of Goa are not getting facilities, they face many problems because all money gets stolen. The second problem is defection. One can win on any party’s ticket but they switch to any party later. For the last two elections, we are seeing that one may be contesting on any party but they join BJP later. This is cheating with voters….All our candidates today signed an affidavit in which they are taking a vow that if elected, they will work honestly, they won’t take a bribe, they won’t do corruption, and second that they won’t leave AAP to join other parties,” said Kejriwal.

He said the affidavit states that if elected, AAP MLAs will work honestly, not indulge in corruption and will not leave the AAP and join another party. He said that all AAP candidates are honest but the affidavit was signed as one should also be seen to be honest.

Kejriwal said that it must’ve been a Guinness World Record that 15 of one party’s (Congress) 17 MLAs went and joined another party (BJP), referring to the mass defection of MLAs after the previous election. Kejriwal claimed that the BJP has fielded their candidates on Congress’ ticket like in the Salcete area so that they can join BJP later.

The AAP had got zero seats in the 2017 Goa legislative assembly polls and the party is contesting the assembly polls in the state for the second time. It has fielded candidates in 39 of the 40-member Goa assembly.

Earlier, the Congress party had taken its candidates to a temple, a church and a mosque where the party made them take an oath of loyalty and swore that they would not defect after the election.

Voting for the Goa assembly polls will be held on February 14 and counting of votes will take place on March 10.