High drama ensued in Gujarat on Wednesday as the Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Surat (East) Kanchan Jariwala withdrew his nomination for the upcoming elections, a development that AAP has alleged was a result of coercion by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Earlier today, top AAP leaders including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha alleged that Jariwala and his family had been “kidnapped” and were missing since Tuesday afternoon.

In a tweet earlier today, the AAP national convenor alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had attempted to get his nomination rejected, and was later pressurised to withdraw his nomination.

“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. Has he been kidnapped?” tweeted the AAP chief, who has been aggressively campaigning in Gujarat.

Also Read: Gujarat Elections 2022: Over 1,300 nominations filed for Phase-1 of voting

AAP Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Raghav Chadha tweeted a video alleging that police and BJP members “dragged” him to the Returning Officer’s office, “forcing” him to withdraw his nomination.

The development comes just a day before the window for withdrawal of nominations ends. Voting in the Surat (East) assembly constituency will be held in Phase 1 of the elections which is scheduled on December 1. While the last day for filing of nomination was November 14, the last day of withdrawal is November 17 for the Phase 1 elections, when 89 assembly constituencies will go to polls.

Meanwhile, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that he is going to the office of the Election Commission in connection with the “kidnapping” case of the party’s candidate.

“Going to the Central Election Commission right now. In Gujarat, BJP got AAP candidate Kanchan Jariwala kidnapped from Surat (East) by goons and then got his nomination withdrawn by the police. In such a situation, what is the point of election then?” Sisodia said in a tweet (in Hindi).

Meanwhile, Surat Police Commissioner Ajay Tomar said that the issue has come to his notice. “I have come to know about it and we are trying to find out. I have put my teams on the job and we will find it out. We have not received any formal complaint yet but since this has come to my notice, I am working on it,” the police official told news agency PTI.

The BJP, however, denied the charge and asked the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP to “take care of its own house”.

The AAP candidate from Surat (East) Kanchan Jariwala was pitted against Arvindbhai Rana who is the BJP’s candidate.

Also Read: Gujarat Elections 2022: Full list of AAP candidates and their constituencies

Elections to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases on December 1 and December 5, and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 8.

The state is all set to see a triangular contest between the BJP, the party that has been in power for 27 years in the state, Opposition Congress, and debutante AAP.