New Delhi:

Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ramesh Bidhuri on Sunday dismissed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s claims that the opposition party is likely to consider projecting him as the chief ministerial face in next month’s Delhi assembly elections, saying he is not a contender for the top post.

Mr Bidhuri, who is contesting the polls from Kalkaji seat against Chief Minister Atishi, made the clarification amid Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convener Arvind Kejriwal’s allegations that the BJP intends to field the former MP as the chief ministerial candidate in a day or two. The opposition party has, however, repeatedly dismissed the claim.

In a statement on Sunday, Mr Bidhuri said: “I am as dedicated to the people as I am to my party. Talks about the chief minister’s role for me are totally baseless. I will continue to work timelessly as your servant.” 

The BJP leader also said he is a “loyal worker” of the party. “The party has constantly blessed me and expressed trust in me. While I was holding important responsibilities for twenty-five years, the party made me an MP twice and an MLA thrice and has given me the opportunity to come to your door for the fourth time,” he said, referring to his term as MP from 2014 to 2019 and 2019 to 2024, and election as MLA in 2003, 2008 and 2013. 

The former MP also hit out at Mr Kejriwal for his “misleading propaganda” against him. “I want to make it clear that I am not a claimant for any post,” he said. 

“With your blessings, I am dedicated to the service of the people… I want to give you more and more of the country,” he added. 

At a press conference on Saturday, Mr Kejriwal claimed that he has come to know from “reliable sources” that the BJP will announce Mr Bidhuri as the chief ministerial candidate in the coming days. He also challenged Bidhuri to a public debate to let the people of Delhi decide who is better equipped to lead.

“Once Bidhuri’s candidacy is officially announced, I propose that to strengthen democracy, there should be a public debate between the AAP’s candidate and the BJP’s candidate, Ramesh Bidhuri, in front of the people of Delhi, the nation, and the media,” the former Chief Minister said.

Mr Bidhuri alleged that by raking up his name, Mr Kejriwal has accepted that the BJP will form the government in the next assembly term. “He has widely accepted his defeat because it is well known that the people of Delhi are widely angry with him. The people want to get rid of the liquor scam, education scam, health scam, Sheeshmahal scam, broken roads, dirty drinking water etc,” he said, referring to the excise policy case, an alleged scam in the Delhi education department, the alleged Mohalla clinic scam and alleged irregularities in the construction of the bungalow that Mr Kejriwal used as chief minister.

Ms Atishi, who is seeking reelection from Kalkaji seat, also claimed on Friday that the BJP was going to name Mr Bidhuri as its chief ministerial face and criticised the party for picking a leader who “hurls the most abuses”.

The BJP dismissed the claims as a “baseless rumour” with Union Home Minister Amit Shah accusing Mr Kejriwal of spreading canard for political mileage. “Can Kejriwal decide the BJP’s chief ministerial face? Who is he to make such claims?” he said while addressing “Jhuggi Basti Pradhan Sammelan” in the Capital on Saturday. 

Mr Shah also accused Mr Kejriwal of attempting to manipulate public perception, asserting that the people of Delhi understood his tactics. “Lies, betrayal and going back on promises” are the qualities of Kejriwal, he said. 

Mr Bidhuri’s recent remarks about Ms Atishi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi had triggered a controversy. 

The BJP leader had made derogatory comments against Ms Atishi’s father.

Besides, he said that would make roads in Kalkaji smooth like “Priyanka Gandhi’s cheeks”. The Congress termed the remark as an “insult to women”.

Mr Bidhuri later expressed regret following an uproar.

The 70-member Delhi Assembly will go to polls on February 5, and the counting of votes will be held on February 8. 

The AAP, which won 67 seats in the 2015 polls and 62 in the 2020 polls, is eyeing another consecutive term in the Capital. 

The BJP won three seats in 2015 and eight in 2020 while the Congress failed to open its account on both the occasions. 

New Delhi:

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal has said that the Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party have announced support to his party in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections.

Mr Kejriwal, who is the former Chief Minister of Delhi, also hit out at the Congress for “partnering” with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) discreetly. 

All the four parties – AAP, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party and Congress – are partners in the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) and had jointly fought the Lok Sabha elections last year. 

In a post on X on Wednesday, Mr Kejriwal said he is “personally grateful” to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also the Chairperson of the Trinamool Congress, for extending her support. 

“TMC has announced support to AAP in Delhi elections. I am personally grateful to Mamata Didi. Thank you Didi. You have always supported and blessed us in our good and bad times,” the former Delhi Chief Minister said.

TMC has announced support to AAP in Delhi elections. I am personally grateful to Mamta Didi. Thank you Didi. U have always supported and blessed us in our good and bad times.

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 8, 2025

Minutes later, Trinamool’s Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien responded to Mr Kejriwal’s post, saying: “We have your back @AamAadmiParty.” 

On Tuesday night, Mr Kejriwal extended his gratitude to Samajwadi President President Akhilesh Yadav for his party’s support to the AAP in next month’s polls. “Thank you very much Akhilesh ji. You always support and stand with us. I and the people of Delhi are grateful for this,” he wrote in Hindi on the micro-blogging platform, as he shared a news report claiming that the SP will support the AAP in the polls.

There was no public statement or announcement either from Mr Yadav or the Samajwadi Party on the matter but sources said that he expressed his intent to support the AAP, after a press conference on Tuesday.

बहुत बहुत शुक्रिया अखिलेश जी। आपका हमेशा हमें सपोर्ट और साथ रहता है। इसके लिए मैं और दिल्ली की जनता आभारी हैं। https://t.co/as58s2ksDt

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 7, 2025

The Trinamool and the Samajwadi Party had thrown their weight behind the AAP in the 2020 Delhi assembly elections as well. 

Mr O’Brien had uploaded, on X, a video endorsing not just Mr Kejriwal as Chief Minister but all AAP candidates.

As the AAP swept the 2020 elections, Mr Yadav congratulated Mr Kejriwal on the big win. 

Meanwhile, Mr Kejriwal hit out at the Congress after its leader, Ashok Gehlot claimed that AAP leaders are delusional about its victory in the next month’s polls.

“They are our opposition. It’s their misconception that just because they have won the previous two elections, they will repeat their performance this time. The Congress is campaigning well and we know that the results will be good this time,” Mr Gehlot said. 

Hitting back, Mr Kejriwal said the Congress has made it clear that the “AAP is its opposition in Delhi”. “People also felt that AAP is the opposition for Congress and BJP is its partner. People also believed that BJP and Congress are fighting the elections together against AAP. Till now this cooperation between you two was secret. Today you have made it public. Thank you on behalf of the people of Delhi,” the AAP National Convenor wrote on X. 

Both the AAP and the Congress have been locked in an intense battle, over various issues, for quite some time. Though the two parties fought the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Delhi under the INDIA bloc, they are fighting the assembly elections separately. 

The two parties had blamed one another for the poll debacle in the Capital during the parliamentary elections.

Last month, Delhi Congress leader Ajay Maken’s remarks that a tie-up with the AAP during the Lok Sabha polls was a “mistake” further worsened relations between the allies. The AAP said it will ask other members of the INDIA bloc to remove the Congress from the alliance, if the latter does not act against Mr Maken for his remarks.

Voting for the 70-member Delhi Assembly will be held in a single phase on February 5 and the results will be announced on February 8.

The Congress, which was in power for 15 consecutive years in Delhi, suffered setbacks in the last two assembly elections and failed to win any seat. In contrast, the AAP dominated the 2020 assembly elections by winning 62 out of 70 seats while the BJP got only eight seats.

New Delhi:

After AAP released its final list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls in Delhi, party supremo Arvind Kejriwal, who will contest from the New Delhi constituency, took a swipe at the BJP, alleging that the saffron party has no chief ministerial face.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday released its final list of 38 candidates for the Assembly polls due in February, fielding Arvind Kejriwal from New Delhi besides repeating Chief Minister Atishi from Kalkaji.

In a post on X in Hindi, Arvind Kejriwal said, “The party is contesting the elections with full confidence and full preparation. BJP is missing. They have no CM face, no team, no planning, and no vision for Delhi. They have only one slogan, only one policy, and only one mission — ‘Remove Kejriwal’. Ask them what they did in five years, and they reply, ‘Kejriwal ko bahut gaali di’ (cursed Kejriwal a lot).” The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is yet to announce its candidates, is reportedly planning to pitch Parvesh Verma, son of former Delhi Chief Minister late Sahib Singh Verma, against Kejriwal in New Delhi.

The Congress, meanwhile, has announced 21 candidates, including Sandeep Dikshit, son of ex-Chief Minister late Sheila Dikshit, who will challenge Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi.

Arvind Kejriwal has on multiple occasions ruled out any alliance with Congress, despite both parties being part of the INDIA bloc.

In its bid for a third consecutive term in power in the national capital, AAP has nominated its senior leaders from their own constituencies.

Accordingly, Environment Minister Gopal Rai will contest from Babarpur, Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj from Greater Kailash, and former Health Minister Satyendar Jain from Shakur Basti.

Additionally, ministers Raghuvinder Shokeen and Mukesh Kumar Ahlawat will contest the polls from Nangloi Jat and Sultanpur Majra, respectively.

Other candidates in AAP’s list include Sanjeev Jha from Burari, Ajesh Yadav from Badli, and Durgesh Pathak from Rajinder Nagar. The party has fielded Amanatullah Khan from Okhla.

As per a list issued earlier, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has been moved to Jangpura, while newcomer Avadh Ojha will contest from Sisodia’s previous seat, Patparganj.

Congress has fielded Anil Kumar from Patparganj.

In the 2020 elections, AAP secured 62 of the 70 seats in Delhi, solidifying its dominance in the capital’s politics.

The upcoming polls are expected to be a litmus test for the party’s governance model and its appeal to the electorate.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A day after an unsettling attack during a public rally in Delhi, AAP chief and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal voiced his dismay, asking, “What was my fault?” The incident, which occurred during a public rally in Malviya Nagar, saw a man splash liquid on Mr Kejriwal on Saturday. 

Speaking at a press conference today, Mr Kejriwal targeted the Centre, particularly Home Minister Amit Shah, over the law and order situation in the national capital. 

“I had this expectation that Amit Shah will take some action after I raised the issue (law & order). But, instead of that, I was being attacked during my padyatra. Liquid was thrown at me, it was harmless, but it could have been harmful,” Mr Kejriwal said. 

The AAP chief linked the attack to issues of governance, questioning the state of law and order in the capital. “We were only raising issues of public safety and crime. If you can, arrest the gangsters; why target us instead?” he asked.

The incident, which AAP claims was an attempt to set Mr Kejriwal on fire, unfolded as he shook hands with supporters during his rally. According to Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, the attacker had both a matchbox and a liquid that smelled like spirit.

“A man threw spirit on him. We could smell it, and there was an attempt to burn him alive,” Mr Bharadwaj alleged, adding that alert volunteers thwarted what could have been a disastrous situation. Mr Bharadwaj also accused the attacker of being linked to the BJP.

The BJP was quick to refute AAP’s allegations, calling the incident a “publicity stunt.” Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva dismissed AAP’s claims, suggesting the episode was orchestrated to garner sympathy. “Delhiites are asking why such incidents happen only with him,” Mr Sachdeva said.

The accused, identified as Ashok Jha, a 41-year-old bus marshal employed by the Delhi Transport Corporation, has been detained. The Delhi Police, which comes under the Union Home Ministry, stated that Jha had acted out of frustration over not receiving his salary for six months.

During interrogation, Jha allegedly claimed that he had donated to AAP during its formation but was disillusioned by what he called “fake promises.”

According to police, the liquid was water, not spirit, as AAP alleged. 

‘Victim Of Gangsters’

After AAP MLA Naresh Balyan was arrested in connection with an extortion case, Mr Kejriwal defended him, alleging that he was being targeted by gangsters and falsely implicated in the case.

“Yesterday, one of our MLAs was arrested. The crime that he (Naresh Balyan) has committed is that he was the victim of gangsters. He had received calls from gangsters for ransom and threats, one to two years back. He had also filed complaints many times,” Mr Kejriwal claimed.

The MLA from Uttam Nagar was summoned by the Delhi Police Crime Branch for questioning. Following hours of interrogation, he was taken into custody. According to police, the arrest stems from an extortion case lodged last year.

A senior officer claimed that an audio clip allegedly featuring a conversation between Naresh Balyan and gangster Kapil Sangwan, who is believed to be operating from abroad, had surfaced on social media. The purported conversation reportedly discussed extortion money collections from local businessmen. The police said that the matter is under investigation, with further interrogations expected.

No Alliance Talks 

Mr Kejriwal ruled out the possibility of an alliance between AAP, Congress or any INDIA bloc partners for the Delhi Assembly Elections scheduled next year. 

“There will be no alliance in Delhi,” Mr Kejriwal said.

The AAP and Congress fought the Lok Sabha Elections together but it ended in a debacle as the BJP won all seats. The AAP and Congress were also engaged in seat-sharing talks before the Haryana Assembly elections in October but the talks failed, and the BJP won the elections.  

Arvind Kejriwal is likely to resign today as the Chief Minister of Delhi and name his successor. The AAP chief, who was granted bail in the Delhi liquor police case on Friday, has announced he will return to the top post only after his party is re-elected in the upcoming state polls. “I will not sit on that chair till the people announce their verdict,” the Chief Minister had said. The AAP will announce the name of his successor at around noon.

Here are the Live Updates on Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation:

Arvind Kejriwal’s Replacement To Be Announced At Noon: AAP
The Aam Aadmi Party will announce the name of the leader who will replace Arvind Kejriwal as the Delhi chief minister at 12 pm on Tuesday after the legislative party meeting, the party said. Mr Kejriwal had announced his decision to resign from the post of chief minister on Sunday, saying he will only sit on the Chief Minister’s chair after the “people’s verdict”.