New Delhi:

Delhi BJP MLA Mohan Singh Bisht has slammed the party’s decision to field colleague Kapil Mishra from his seat for the upcoming polls, saying they have made a “big mistake”. The BJP named Mr Mishra as its candidate from Karawal Nagar yesterday, replacing Mr Bisht who had won the 2020 elections against the AAP’s Durgesh Pathak. Mr Bisht, who has won all except one assembly election from here since 1998, has asserted he won’t move to another seat and will file his nomination from Karawal Nagar.

“The BJP thinks they will field anyone and he will win. This is a big mistake. Only time will tell what will happen in Burari, Karawal Nagar, Ghonda, Seelampur, Gokalpuri, and Nand Nagri seats. I will not contest from any other seat. I will file my nomination from Karawal Nagar seat before January 17,” the veteran politician told news agency ANI.

Read: Former Chief Minister’s Son, Ex AAP Minister On BJP’s 2nd List For Delhi Polls

Mr Mishra, however, has predicted a big victory and said, “The people of Karawal Nagar are excited and we will register a big win here. There is a wave of transformation in Delhi. BJP is going to form the government here.”

In the 2015 elections, Mr Mishra had contested from the Karawal Nagar seat on an AAP ticket and defeated Mr Bisht. He went on to join the AAP cabinet, but it was short-lived. He was dropped as a minister and suspended from the party in 2017 after he accused senior AAP leaders of corruption.

Mr Mishra joined the BJP in 2019 ahead of the elections and shot to the headlines after referring to anti-citizenship law protest sites as “mini Pakistans”. He had even issued an ultimatum to the Delhi Police to clear the protest sites in Jaffrabad and Chandbagh or face consequences.

The BJP is vying to dethrone the AAP from power in the national capital where the assembly elections will be held on February 5. The votes will be counted on February 8.

New Delhi:

With less than a month to go for the Delhi Assembly elections, the BJP has released its second list of 29 candidates. The list includes Delhi BJP Vice President Kapil Mishra – a former MLA who was earlier with the AAP – who has been fielded from the Karawal Nagar constituency, and former Delhi chief minister Madan Lal Khurana’s son Harsh Khurana.

BJP leader Karnail Singh will contest against AAP’s former minister Satyendar Jain from Shakur Basti. Parvesh Verma, who is the son of former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma, had been named in the party’s first list. 

Only one sitting MLA – Mohan Singh Bisht – has been dropped from Karawal Nagar, probably to accommodate Mr Mishra, who represented the constituency earlier, when he was with the AAP. Mr Mishra joined the BJP in 2019 and made headlines a year later after referring to sites where protests were taking place against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as “mini-Pakistans”. He had also issued an ultimatum to the Delhi Police to clear anti-CAA protesters from Jaffrabad and Chandbagh or face the consequences.

Neelam Krishan Pahalwan, who was elected as the BJP councillor from the Dichaon Kalan ward with the highest number of votes, will contest from Najafgarh, which was the constituency of former Delhi minister and recent BJP entrant Kailash Gahlot. The former AAP leader featured in the first list and will be contesting from Bijwasan. 

The BJP has named five women in the second list, taking its number of women candidates to seven so far.

With Saturday’s list, the party has now named candidates for 58 of Delhi’s 70 seats. The first list included the names of Parvesh Verma, former MP Ramesh Bidhuri and former Congress leader and minister Arvinder Singh Lovely.

New Delhi:

Stepping up the attack on the BJP ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal said the party is not announcing its chief ministerial candidate because it is afraid of suffering defeat. The AAP leader also claimed that the BJP has finalised the name of its former South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri – who was denied a ticket for the Lok Sabha polls but is contesting against Chief Minister Atishi from the Kalkaji constituency in the Assembly polls – as the chief ministerial candidate.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah hit back, accusing the AAP chief of spreading canards and trying to manipulate public perception. “Can Mr Kejriwal decide the BJP’s chief ministerial face? Who is he to make such claims,” the minister asked.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Mr Kejriwal said in Hindi, “The AAP has been clear from the beginning that I will be the chief ministerial candidate. The BJP’s Central Election Committee met yesterday and sources tell us the party has probably decided to name Ramesh Bidhuri as the chief ministerial candidate. Sources said his name will be declared in a day or two. I congratulate Mr Bidhuri and, on behalf of the people of Delhi, urge him to tell us about the work he has done as an MP for ten years. He should also lay out his vision for Delhi and the people of Delhi.”

The former Delhi chief minister also challenged the BJP to a public debate.

“This will make the vision of the respective people and parties clear to the people of Delhi and India. We will wait, maybe the announcement of Mr Bidhuri’s name will happen in a day or two,” he said. 

Mr Bidhuri had made headlines in September 2023, when he used Islamophobic slurs against Amroha MP Danish Ali, sparking a huge controversy. After his candidature for the Delhi Assembly elections was declared earlier this month, his remarks on Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi’s cheeks and Atishi’s surname change had stirred up a row. The comments earned him a rap from the BJP and he apologised for some of them. 

‘Lies, Betrayal’

Lashing out at Mr Kejriwal, Home Minister Amit Shah said he was trying to extract political mileage by making such claims.

“Can Kejriwal decide the BJP’s chief ministerial face? Who is he to make such claims?” said Mr Shah while addressing a ‘Jhuggi Basti Pradhan Sammelan’. He added that “lies, betrayal and going back on promises” are the AAP chief’s qualities.

BJP leader RP Singh reminded Mr Kejriwal of the court’s conditions while granting him bail in the Delhi liquor policy case and also spoke about the alleged extravagances at the Delhi chief minister’s bungalow, which the opposition party has derisively termed ‘Sheeshmahal’.

“Mr Kejriwal keeps talking about the chief ministerial face. That he is the chief ministerial face and who is against him. The court has said you (Mr Kejriwal) can’t be the chief minister. According to the court order, you could not sign any file as the chief minister, couldn’t go to the chief minister’s office and nor could you call a meeting as chief minister. The order is still in force, you have not got any relief,” Mr Singh said.

“And what face are you talking about? The face that gave a bottle of alcohol free on purchasing one, the face that allowed the opening of liquor shops outside schools and religious places, or the face that got commodes of gold installed (in the chief minister’s bungalow). Our face is the lotus symbol. Our workers are going to every house with the symbol and promising a clean and honest government,” he sneered.

Delhi BJP Chief Virendra Sachdeva said the BJP’s elected MLAs would decide the party’s leader.

(With inputs from PTI)

New Delhi:

The BJP today escalated its attack on AAP following findings from a leaked Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report regarding the city’s controversial excise policy. Questioning the authenticity of the report, AAP leader Sanjay Singh asked whether the alleged findings were made at the BJP office. 

The report, which allegedly outlines major lapses and violations under the leadership of former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, has triggered a fresh row ahead of the February 5 Delhi Assembly elections. 

The CAG report has not been officially released. 

The purported CAG report, parts of which have reached the public domain, alleges that the Delhi government’s Excise Policy caused a loss of over Rs 2,026 crore to the state including Rs 890 crore due to the failure to re-tender surrendered retail liquor licenses. An additional loss of Rs 941 crore allegedly stemmed from exemptions granted to zonal licensees. 

Key approvals from the Lieutenant Governor (LG), the Cabinet, and the Assembly were allegedly bypassed. The report further claims that the Group of Ministers (GoM) led by Manish Sisodia ignored recommendations from an expert panel.

The BJP has seized on the alleged findings, accusing the AAP government of gross corruption and mismanagement. 

“If their (AAP) policies were so good then why were they taken aback? Today AAP has no answer to Delhi’s broken roads, dirty water in homes, rising electricity bills, mountains of garbage and pollution. Today the people of Delhi want to be free from ‘AAP-da’,” BJP leader Anurag Thakur said. 

AAP MP Sanjay Singh questioned the authenticity of the purported report.

“Where is the CAG report? Do you have a copy? Is it made at the BJP office? The BJP is scared. They have become mentally unstable. We cannot respond to everything. On one hand, they are saying the CAG report has not been tabled, but on the other, they say it has been released. What do they mean?” Mr Singh asked. 

The Congress has also joined the attack. Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav criticised the delay in tabling the CAG report in the Assembly, alleging that this indicated a deal between the BJP and AAP to suppress the report. Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit called the policy a “clear scam” and accused the Kejriwal government of draining government funds. 

The Aam Aadmi Party released a new campaign video on the ‘Mahila Samman Yojana’, a welfare scheme which promises Rs 2,100 per month to women in Delhi. The poll promise has been a point of contention in the heated campaign for elections scheduled next month.

AAP shared a video on X captioning, “Now money will not be a hindrance for small needs, brother will send Rs 2100 every month. A brother should be like this, like Kejriwal…”

अब छोटी-छोटी जरूरतों के लिए पैसा रुकावट नहीं बनेगा, भाई हर महीने ₹2100 भेजेगा

भाई हो तो ऐसा, केजरीवाल जैसा… pic.twitter.com/nLrGXdW32f

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) January 8, 2025

The video showed a woman buying a bottle of shampoo with the extra money she received from her brother, a reference to Mr Kejriwal and his scheme for women.

Meanwhile, the BJP has labelled the “fraudulent” and accused AAP of misleading women for electoral gains ahead of polls. 

Under the Mahila Samman Yojana, every woman in Delhi will receive Rs 2,100 monthly. As per AAP, this initiative aims to support women in managing household expenses and pursuing higher education.

“We know how hard mothers and sisters work. Many manage their households while working outside. This Rs 2,100 will help daughters complete their college education and enable housewives to handle rising household expenses or fulfil their personal aspirations, such as buying a saree or suit for themselves,” Mr Kejriwal said.

“Ever since this scheme was announced, we have been inundated with calls and queries about registration. Today, I want to announce that registration will begin tomorrow. You do not need to stand in lines or waste time. Our AAP teams will visit your homes, register the women, and provide a registration card. Keep this card safe,” the AAP convenor added.

Voting in Delhi will take place in a single phase on February 5 and votes will be counted on February 8. 

New Delhi:

In a widening of fissures between the Congress and the AAP, allies at the Central level as part of the INDIA bloc, Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has said the Arvind Kejriwal-led party is its opponent in Delhi and is harbouring a misconception that it will win again in the upcoming Assembly elections. In a swift, stinging response, Mr Kejriwal said Mr Gehlot’s remarks have laid bare the “secret cooperation” between the Congress and the BJP for the Delhi polls. 

The public spat between the senior leaders of the INDIA allies comes days after the AAP said it would ask other members to remove the Congress from the opposition bloc unless one of its leaders, Ajay Maken, apologised for calling Arvind Kejriwal “anti-national”. Even then, the AAP had said that the Congress was doing everything it could to ensure that it helped the BJP in the Delhi elections.

Answering a question on Wednesday, Ashok Gehlot, who is a former Rajasthan Chief Minister, said in Hindi, “They (the AAP) are our opposition. They are harbouring a misconception since they won twice (in Delhi)… the voters’ mood seems to have changed now. The Congress is campaigning well and we may see good results this time.”

Sharing a clip of Mr Gehlot’s remarks on X, Mr Kejriwal said the Congress leader’s comments have proven what the people already believed. 

“Gehlot ji, you made it clear that the Congress sees the AAP as the opposition in Delhi. You remained silent on the BJP. People also felt that the AAP is the opposition for the Congress and the BJP is its partner. People also believed that the BJP and the Congress are fighting the elections together against the AAP. So far, this cooperation between you two was a secret. Today, you have made it public. Thank you, on behalf of the people of Delhi, for this clarification,” the former Delhi chief minister wrote in Hindi. 

Support From Allies

Earlier on Wednesday, the Trinamool Congress – another key INDIA ally – threw its weight behind the AAP for the Delhi polls, following in the footsteps of the Samajwadi Party, which had reportedly done so a day earlier. 

Thanking the Trinamool Congress and its President Mamata Banerjee for the support, Mr Kejriwal said he was “personally grateful”.

“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 (sic),” he wrote on X. 

Senior Trinamool Congress MP and the party’s leader in the Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien, responded almost immediately, saying, “We have your back @AamAadmiParty.” 

Mr Kejriwal had also expressed gratitude to INDIA ally Samajwadi Party on Tuesday after its chief, Akhilesh Yadav, reportedly said he would support the AAP. 

“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 on Tuesday.

The Samajwadi Party and the Trinamool Congress had backed the AAP during the 2020 elections as well. 

Delhi will vote on February 5 and counting of votes will be held on February 8.

New Delhi:

The Election Commission of India (ECI) today dismissed allegations of electronic voting machine (EVM) manipulation. Addressing a press conference today to announce the dates of the Delhi Assembly elections, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said that EVMs have repeatedly passed the test of judicial scrutiny and have earned the trust of the nation’s highest courts on 42 separate occasions.

The Delhi polls are set to be held on February 5 and the counting is scheduled for February 8. 

Mr Kumar said that EVMs are tamper-proof, rendering rigging and hacking impossible. He described allegations of tampering as “baseless” and stressed that the ECI has always prioritised transparency and accountability in the electoral process.

“EVMs are not hackable. Every claim of manipulation has been thoroughly investigated and debunked. This technology has consistently upheld the principles of free and fair elections,” Mr Kumar said. “On 42 different occasions, the judiciary has reaffirmed trust in EVMs. These machines represent years of technological evolution and are a matter of national pride.”

Mr Kumar also addressed concerns regarding alleged manipulation of voter lists, an issue that has become a major point of contention in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections. Political parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress, have alleged discrepancies in voter rolls, claiming wrongful deletions and additions.

Responding to these allegations, Mr Kumar stressed that the Election Commission rigorously follows due process for any changes in voter lists.

“The preparation of electoral rolls is a transparent process involving political parties at every stage,” he said. “These allegations are baseless. Disclosure is our main pillar, and detailed guidelines and datasets are available on our website.”

Mr Kumar added that the ECI ensures full disclosure and provides opportunities for objections throughout the process. “All deletions and additions are done following the due process of law. There is no room for manipulation,” he said.

The AAP has accused the BJP of orchestrating deletions in constituencies where it has a strong voter base. AAP leader and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had claimed in December that the BJP sought to remove over 11,000 names from the voter list in the Shahdara Assembly segment. Mr Kejriwal also alleged that a similar “Operation Lotus” was underway in his own constituency, New Delhi. 

The BJP has denied these allegations, countering that AAP has been adding fake names to voter lists to inflate its support base. 

New Delhi:

BJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri’s sexist remark against Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi is the latest flashpoint between the two political parties. In an undated video, Mr Bidhuri can be seen making a controversial statement about Ms Gandhi while talking about his party’s poll promises ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections scheduled likely next month.

Mr Bidhuri is BJP’s pick to take on Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Atishi for the Kalkaji constituency. 

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate strongly criticised Mr Bidhuri, terming his remarks as “shameful” and accusing the BJP of harbouring an “anti-women” mindset. “Ramesh Bidhuri’s statement regarding Priyanka Gandhi is not only shameful but also shows his disgusting mentality towards women. But what else can be expected from a man who used foul language against his fellow MP in the House and did not receive any punishment? This is the real face of BJP,” Ms Shrinate said in a statement. 

BJP घोर महिला विरोधी है

रमेश बिधूड़ी का प्रियंका गांधी जी के संदर्भ में दिया बयान शर्मनाक ही नहीं उनकी औरतों के बारे में कुत्सित मानसिकता दिखाता है

लेकिन जिस आदमी ने सदन में अपने साथी सांसद को गंदी गालियां दी हों, और कोई सज़ा ना मिली हो उससे और क्या उम्मीद की जा सकती है?… pic.twitter.com/JRdC9bxzrw

— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) January 5, 2025

AAP MP Sanjay Singh also condemned Mr Bidhuri’s comments, sharing the video on X and questioning whether Delhi’s women could feel safe under BJP’s leadership. “This is BJP’s candidate. Listen to his language. This is BJP’s respect for women. Can Delhi’s women’s honour be safe in the hands of such leaders?” Mr Singh posted.

Following the backlash, Mr Bidhuri defended his comments and attacked the opposition for its “hypocrisy.” The BJP leader justified his remark by recounting a similar comment allegedly made by former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav against actor-turned-politician Hema Malini. 

“What I said, I compared it with what had been said earlier. We will reply in the language they use. Is Hema Malini not a woman? When two people make mistakes, both need to rectify. If Congress will rectify their mistake, the same will be done by us,” Mr Bidhuri claimed. 

He later took to his social media handle to express his “regret” over the remark.

“Some people are making statements on social media for political gain with a wrong perception based on a statement given by me in some context. My intention was not to insult anyone. But still, if anyone has been hurt then I express my regret,” he wrote on X. 

किसी संदर्भ में मेरे द्वारा दिये गये बयान पर कुछ लोग ग़लत धारणा से राजनैतिक लाभ के लिए सोशल मीडिया पर बयान दे रहे है। मेरा आशय किसी को अपमानित करने का नहीं था। परंतु फिर भी अगर किसी भी व्यक्ति को दुख हुआ है तो मैं खेद प्रकट करता हूँ।@JPNadda @Virend_Sachdeva @PandaJay @ANI…

— Ramesh Bidhuri (@rameshbidhuri) January 5, 2025

Mr Bidhuri was previously criticised for making Islamophobic slurs at then-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Kunwar Danish Ali (now in Congress) during a parliamentary session in 2023. Despite the outrage, Mr Bidhuri faced no significant disciplinary action from the BJP, leading opposition leaders to allege a tacit endorsement of his behaviour.

Congress leader Alka Lamba also weighed in on the Kalkaji controversy, stating, that the party will formally register an FIR against Mr Bidhuri. 

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a rally in Delhi today accused the AAP of “wasting” the last 10 years. PM Modi claimed that Delhi’s development is essential for India’s aspirations and only BJP can achieve that.  “AAPda is clear to the people of Delhi, so only ‘Modi, Modi’ resounds here. We won’t tolerate AAPda, we will bring change,” the Prime Minister said. 

The Prime Minister inaugurated the 13-km Delhi section of the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor, connecting Sahibabad in Uttar Pradesh to New Ashok Nagar in the national capital. This stretch is part of the larger 55-km Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor, designed to enhance regional connectivity.

PM Modi also rode the Namo Bharat train from Sahibabad station to New Ashok Nagar station.

“We are in the year 2025. Twenty-five years of the 21st century have passed. That means a quarter of a century has passed. During this time, probably two to three generations of youth in Delhi have grown up. Now the coming 25 years are very important for the future of India, and for the future of Delhi,” PM Modi said. 

The Delhi Assembly elections are scheduled for this year. Ahead of the polls, PM Modi accused the AAP leadership of pushing the national capital into one crisis after another and claimed their governance was defined by corruption and mismanagement.

“I want to appeal to the people of Delhi to give an opportunity to BJP for the bright future of Delhi, It is BJP which can develop Delhi. Now, we can only hear ‘AAPda nahi sahenge, badal ke rahenge’ in Delhi. Delhi wants development and the people of Delhi have trust in BJP,” PM Modi said.