Blowing holes in the Aam Aadmi Party’s claims that its candidate from Gujarat’s Surat (East) was “kidnapped” by the BJP and forced to withdraw his nomination “at gun point”, Kanchan Jariwala on Wednesday said that he withdrew his nomination because party workers were demanding money from him, adding that allegations of him being “kidnapped” were false.

Jariwala further stated that the reason for his withdrawal was that AAP workers from the Surat (East) Assembly constituency, which goes to polls in the first phase of Gujarat elections on December 1, had started resigning.

Also Read: Gujarat Elections 2022: AAP claims foul play as Surat (East) candidate withdraws nomination

“Reason for withdrawing my nomination was that (AAP) workers in Surat(East) Assembly started resigning. The workers started demanding money. I’m not capable enough to spend Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1 crore. Their demand was so much that I couldn’t fulfil it,” Jariwala said, as quoted by ANI.

“There was a lot of pressure from the party. People were harassing me by calling again and again. I went away with my son’s friends. There was no one from BJP. What I have to do now, I will tell after five to seven days,” the former AAP candidate added.

Top leaders of AAP, including national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, among others had alleged that the saffron party had forced him to withdraw his nomination after “kidnapping” him.

Sisodia, accompanied by his supporters, later reached the Election Commission of India in Delhi seeking action in this regard.

Reacting to AAP’s “kidnapping” allegations, Union minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday said that the party is levelling false allegations to cover up allegations of corruption against it, reported news agency PTI.

“Ever since Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party have entered politics, they have established new standards of speaking lies. Every time their lies get exposed,” the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting told reporters responding to the allegations, as quoted by PTI.

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

Raghav Chadha and party national spokesperson, shared a video on Twitter on Wednesday, alleging that police and BJP “goons” dragged the ex-AAP candidate and “forced” him to withdraw his nomination. Later, Chadha said he met the returning officer of Surat (East) and apprised him of “coercive and criminal use of state machinery” against Jariwala, who was “forced” to withdraw his nomination “against his will”. AAP Gujarat president Gopal Italia accompanied him.

Gujarat goes for polls in two phases, December 1 and 5, and the counting of votes will take place on December 8. The last dates for withdrawal of candidature are November 17 and 21, for the first and second phases, respectively.