Aam Aadmi Party leader Shazia Ilmi on Friday offered to withdraw her candidature from the Delhi assembly elections after a media portal claimed to have done a sting operation on her and the party’s senior leaders, alleging that they were involved in “raising funds through illegal means.”
“It is an extremely important fight for the AAP. But because of the underhand shoddy sting operation, I will not allow my party’s image to be sullied. I offer to withdraw my candidature and not contest elections until and unless my name is cleared,” Ms. Ilmi said.
The sting operation conducted by Media Sarkar alleged that several leaders of the AAP who were contacted for their help in recovering money from individuals and sealing land deals, readily agreed to extend their support in return for donations in cash.
The party’s convener Arvind Kejriwal dismissed the sting operation as a “conspiracy” but said the AAP will not compromise on the issue of corruption.