'BJP trying to malign image of AAP': Nawab Malik questions timing of OSD of DyCm's arrest

Ahead of the Delhi Assembly election, Nationalist Congress Party leader and Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik slammed the BJP over the timing of the arrest of Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. Malik said that the arrest is a trick used by the BJP to influence the elections and also an attempt to malign the Aam Admi Party (AAP).

Speaking to the media Malik said, "The timing of the arrest of OSD of Deputy CM is nothing but to influence Delhi elections. It shows that BJP is trying to malign the image of AAP tomorrow in the election, yesterday he was arrested, the intention of BJP is clear. Delhites knows they are using agencies to malign the image of AAP."

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OSD arrested by CBI

The CBI on Thursday arrested a Delhi government officer understood to be the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in an alleged bribery case of Rs 2 lakh, officials said. Gopal Krishna Madhav was arrested in a late-night operation for allegedly receiving a bribe of over Rs 2 lakh in a matter related to GST, they said.

Madhav was immediately taken to the CBI headquarters for questioning, the officials said. No involvement of Sisodia in the case has surfaced so far and the investigation is going on, sources said. Madhav was posted in the office of Sisodia in 2015, the officials said. The arrest comes two days before the crucial Delhi assembly election.

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Delhi election 

New Delhi will go to polls in a single-phase on February 8 and the counting of votes will take place on February 11. The last day of filing nominations for the candidates was on January 21. The BJP has fielded Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha president Sunil Yadav against Delhi CM Kejriwal from New Delhi constituency, and the Congress has pitted former NSUI Delhi president Ramesh Sabharwal against him. BJP is trying to make advances in the upcoming Assembly elections after the 2015 debacle where it won only 3 seats. During the 2015 elections, AAP won 67 seats out of the 70-seat Assembly.

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