A progressive politician like @AtishiAAP who DOES NOT use her caste name 'Singh' to ask for votes, is being targete… https://t.co/YBG5JnanjF — Akshay Marathe (@AkshayMarathe) 1535437533000

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday refuted reports in some sections of the media which said Atishi Marlena , AAP's candidate for the Lok Sabha election from the East Delhi constituency, was asked to drop her last name, ahead of election campaigning because the name ‘sounded Christian’.Akshay Marathe, an AAP joint secretary, said that Atishi was not forced to drop her last name."No one has forced Atishi to 'drop' her last name. She has always been Atishi. Marlena was a given name, while her surname is Singh," said Marathe.Addressing Atishi as a progressive politician, Marathe said that she does not use her caste name- Singh-because she does not want to encourage caste based politics.Several reports have said that her parents, Dr Tripta Wahi and Dr Vijay Singh, being committed leftists, gave her a title combining Marx & Lenin.Asaduddin Owaisi, president, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen Party and an MP from Hyderabad constituency, condemned AAP while reacting to the allegation that the party forced Atishi to drop her last name."This is reality of Indian electoral politics to get elected one cannot have a name which is /might sound like a Christian/Muslim name. That is why we have only 4% Muslims in Lok Sabha out of 14%, all this “TALK” of secularism fails at time of voting," said Owaisi in a tweet.Atishi did recently change her account name on Twitter and Facebook but didn’t give any explanation for it.Delhi's ruling AAP on Monday announced that Atishi, a former advisor to education minister Manish Sisodia – from July 2015 to April 2018 - will be its candidate for next year’s general elections. She was also one of thee people involved in drafting the manifesto of AAP. She inaugurated her new election office at Lakshmi Nagar on Monday