Express News Service By

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Anita Pratap’s foreign trip during re-polling has sparked off a row, with the UDF alleging that she had insulted democracy by leaving the country when the re-polling was scheduled to be held on Wednesday.

Anita Pratap, the AAP candidate in the Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency, is in Tokyo, reportedly spending the summer vacation with family. It was Anita who demanded re-polling at booth no 118 in the Kalamassery Assembly constituency, after EVM malfunctioned during the April 10 polling. The voting machine had developed a snag after 73.4 percent votes were cast. By that time, of the 1172 voters in the constituency, 860 had exercised their franchise.

“The AAP candidate left the country after the Election Commission granted permission for the re-polling. It may be noted tht a huge amount of money and a lot of human effort are required to conduct the re-polling. The candidate’s trip has created curiosity among voters” said UDF chief election agent Ajay Tharayil. On April 10, polling had to be stopped for nearly one hour at booth no 118 at the General Polytechnic, Kalamassery , after Aam AAP workers protested against faulty EVM. Following this, Anita Pratap demanded that polling be stopped. Though the machine was replaced and additional time was allotted to make up for the lost time, the AAP continued to demand re-polling.

Meanwhile, AAP state convener Manoj Padmanabhan said that the party was aware of Anita’s foreign trip. “Her husband is working in Tokyo, Japan, and she was also living there with her family. Her candidature in Ernakulam was accidental, and she plans to settle here if elected. There is nothing unusual about the trip, and the party does not think she has acted irresponsibly,” Manoj said.