New Delhi:

BJP rushed to placate the outgoing MLA from Karawal Nagar after the ticket from his current seat was given to Kapil Mishra. Mohan Singh Bisht was then given a ticket from Mustafabad in the third list of candidates released on Sunday, ahead of the February 5 Delhi Assembly election.

Mr Bisht, who has won all except one assembly election from Karawal Nagar since 1998, had earlier said, “The BJP thinks they will field anyone and he will win. This is a big mistake. You have challenged the ‘samaj’ (his Uttarakhandi community), not Mohan Singh Bisht. The BJP will lose at least 8-10 seats because of this decision, including Karawal Nagar, Burari, Mustafabad and Gokalpuri.”

Later, Mr Bisht expressed confidence that he would win the Mustafabad seat for the BJP. “I met the national president and things were ironed out. I have assured that I will contest from Mustafabad and win the seat for the party,” Bisht told PTI. The MLA said he and the BJP had considerable support in Mustafabad and he has already attended two public meetings there.

Another protest at the Delhi BJP office voiced resentment over the candidate fielded from Tughlakabad. “Vikram Bidhuri Tum Sangharsh Karo; Modi Se Bair Nahi, Rohtas Teri Khair Nahi,” the protesters, including mostly youngsters, chanted as the party leaders tried to pacify them. In the second list of BJP candidates, Rohtas Bidhuri was fielded from the Tughlakabad seat. 

A similar protest was also held by some party workers outside the Delhi BJP office against Mehrauli candidate Gajainder Yadav after the announcement of the first list of candidates earlier this month.

Mr Bisht is the only candidate announced as part of the third list of BJP candidates for the Delhi polls. In the first and second lists, 29 candidates each were announced. So far, the BJP has announced 59 candidates.

Elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly are scheduled on February 5, the counting of votes for which will be held on February 8. The elections will see the Aam Aadmi Party looking to retain power for the third consecutive term, despite many of its leaders being tainted by various cases. The BJP, out of power in Delhi since 1998, is making all-out efforts to return to the helm.

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:

With an eye on Purvanchali votebank in Delhi, the ruling AAP and the Opposition BJP on Friday crossed swords over the honour and welfare of migrants from Bihar and east Uttar Pradesh as both parties claimed to be their true well-wisher.

While the BJP women wing held a protest outside AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal’s house over his “anti-Purvanchali” comments, the former Chief Minister countered by claiming that he had given a dignified life to Purvanchalis by providing civic and health facilities in unauthorised colonies and slums where they live.

The poll-bound city is witnessing a battle over Purvanchalis with BJP protesting against Kejriwal’s comment on Thursday in which he allegedly called people from Purvanchal “fake voters” and the AAP has been accusing the saffron party of indulging in politics.

Kejriwal took to damage control on Friday by blaming the BJP’s central government for not carrying out any development in the unauthorised colonies that are home to the community.

#WATCH | Delhi | Police use water cannon to disperse BJP workers who are protesting outside AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s residence at Feroze Shah Road over his statement on Purvanchal voters pic.twitter.com/00fDUrPKdu

— ANI (@ANI) January 10, 2025

“People from Purvanchal come here and live in slums. Before 2014, it was difficult to live in these slums. It was a life of hell, with mud and sludge everywhere. There was no development. According to the Supreme Court and central government orders, no development could take place there. More than 90 per cent of the people in these slums are from Purvanchal. I want to ask the BJP, what have you done for slums in the last 10 years?” said Kejriwal.

“BJP is just a party for protesting. They only hold dharna and protest and indulge in dirty politics. They can’t work for the people,” he said.

Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said Kejriwal’s remarks last evening, where he called people from Purvanchal “fake voters,” have once again revealed the dark truth of his mindset.

Kejriwal seems to have lost his mental balance out of fear of losing power, he said, slamming the former CM for insulting Purvanchali voters.

The significance of Purvanchali voters living mostly in unauthorised colonies in Delhi can be gauged from the fact that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had referred to their issues during his recent election rally.

PM Modi had said that while the Central government was holding camps to give ownership rights to residents of unauthorised colonies, the AAP had failed to provide even basic services like roads and water in these areas.

About 42 per cent Delhi’s 1.55 crore voters are Purvanchalis or migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and their votes influence the result in almost half of the city’s 70 Assembly constituencies. Key seats with Purvanchali voters include Burari, Laxmi Nagar, Dwarka, etc.

Apart from declaring Chhath, a ritual observed by Purvanchalis, as a holiday in Delhi, the AAP government has been making special arrangements for the religious event by building special ghats near the Yamuna and providing artificial water ponds in colonies.

The BJP has also been actively engaging with the community through its Purvanchal Morcha. North East Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari, a singer and actor from Purvanchal, has been projected by the party as its tallest leader from the region.

The Assembly elections in Delhi are scheduled to be held on February 5 and the result will be announced on February 8.

In the outgoing Assembly, the AAP has 62 MLAs and the BJP has eight.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday described the two projects inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as milestones for Delhi’s infrastructure and claimed they were joint ventures between the central and the city governments.

PM Modi inaugurated a 13-kilometre stretch of the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor from Sahibabad in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad to New Ashok Nagar here and the Janakpuri West-Krishna Park Extension section of the Delhi Metro’s Phase IV.

During a press conference, Mr Kejriwal congratulated the people of Delhi and asserted that the projects were a collaboration between the city and the central governments.

Taking a dig at his critics, Mr Kejriwal said, “These inaugurations are a reply to those who say AAP only engages in fights.” Referring to the challenges faced by his party, he claimed AAP leaders were imprisoned and tortured but maintained their focus on governance.

“Over the past 10 years, our tenure has shown how we kept work above everything else,” he said.

He also hit out at PM Modi, alleging that the prime minister devoted the majority of his speech to criticise the Delhi government.

Mr Kejriwal said, “Today, the prime minister kept abusing the people of Delhi and the elected government of Delhi. I was listening to it, it felt bad. The promise made by the prime minister in 2020 — the people of Delhi Dehat are still waiting for that to be fulfilled.” 

The former chief minister also urged PM Modi to fulfil the promises made in the BJP’s election manifesto.

With elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly due in February, Mr Kejriwal’s remarks underlined AAP’s focus on development amid its continuing tussle with the Centre.

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