Former Delhi minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj is now a YouTuber. After his loss in the 2025 Delhi Assembly election, the AAP leader has launched a YouTube channel, “Berozgar Neta”, which means “unemployed politician”.

Mr Bharadwaj, who lost the Greater Kailash seat to BJP’s Shikha Roy, will use the platform to interact with people daily. In his first video, he shared how the election result “flipped his life by 180 degrees” and made him an “unemployed leader.”

On Wednesday, he shared a video and mentioned that the goal of this channel was to communicate directly with the public and answer their queries in an “open and transparent” manner.

In the 58-second-long clip, he said, “The Delhi results announced on February 8 have changed many lives, and the situation has changed 180 degrees for people like us. It can be said that leaders like us have become unemployed.”

“People are reaching out to me with messages and calls. I want to share how things change in the life of a politician after an election loss. I will also try to respond to your questions. So please join my platform,” he added.

The 45-year-old engineer-turned-politician also announced his YouTube innings on X, writing, “From tomorrow I am coming among you on a new platform! Now you can also join me on YouTube, where we will discuss a new topic every day. Also, you can share your suggestions. See you tomorrow on a new journey with our first video!”

बेरोजगार नेता

कल से मैं एक नए प्लेटफॉर्म पर आपके बीच आ रहा हूँ!

अब आप YouTube पर भी मेरे साथ जुड़ सकते हैं, जहाँ हम हर रोज़ एक नए विषय पर चर्चा करेंगे।साथ ही,आप अपने सुझाव भी साझा कर सकते हैं।

कल मिलते हैं नए सफर पर अपनी पहली Video के साथ !

Link- https://t.co/FIGcEtUN5z pic.twitter.com/PZP0BoeBdS

— Saurabh Bharadwaj (@Saurabh_MLAgk) February 12, 2025

The former legislator will discuss a new topic every day and has invited viewers to share their suggestions and participate in the discussions. So far, the channel has approximately 52,000 subscribers.

Mr Bharadwaj, a three-time MLA from Greater Kailash, held various portfolios in the Delhi government, including home, health, water, industries, transport and power, among others. He lost in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections to Shikha Roy by over 3,000 votes.

Mr Bhardwaj was among the popular AAP leaders, including party chief Arvind Kejriwal, Malviya Nagar MLA Somnath Bharti, and former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, who lost the elections this year.

The BJP won 48 of the 70 seats, ending AAP’s rule in Delhi and forming the government after 27 years. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party managed to win 22 seats.

New Delhi:

Eight outgoing AAP MLAs joined the BJP here on Saturday, with only four days to go for the February 5 Delhi Assembly polls. All the eight MLAs resigned from the primary membership of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday, citing reasons like alleged corruption and the Arvind Kejriwal-led party’s deviation from its ideology.

All the eight legislators were denied poll tickets by the AAP this time.

The MLAs who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are Vandana Gaur (Palam), Rohit Mehraulia (Trilokpuri), Girish Soni (Madipur), Madan Lal (Kasturba Nagar), Rajesh Rishi (Uttam Nagar), B S Joon (Bijwasan), Naresh Yadav (Mehrauli) and Pawan Sharma (Adarsh Nagar).

After resigning from the AAP, they said they had also sent their resignation letters to the Assembly speaker, relinquishing their membership of the House.

Former AAP MLA Vijender Garg and several other leaders of the Kejriwal-led party too joined the saffron outfit in the presence of Baijayant Panda, its national vice-president and the in-charge of the Delhi BJP, and state president Virendra Sachdeva.

Welcoming the MLAs and leaders to the BJP, Panda said it is a “historic” day as they have gotten rid of “AAPda” (disaster) and hoped that after the February 5 polls, Delhi too will be freed from it.

The 70-member Delhi Assembly is scheduled to go to polls on February 5, with the results set to be declared on February 8.

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

New Delhi:

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal was detained by the police Thursday afternoon after she dumped three mini-truckloads of garbage outside the residence of former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in protest.

Earlier in the day, Maliwal visited Vikaspuri, where she claimed that the streets were choked with waste, posing severe health and hygiene issues for residents.

Maliwal, along with a group of supporters, collected the garbage in three mini trucks and headed to Kejriwal’s residence at 5, Ferozeshah Road.

Accompanied by hundreds of women holding placards that read, “Muskuraiye, AAP Delhi Mein Hain,” Maliwal dumped the garbage outside Kejriwal’s house, using a shovel to throw waste onto the ground. Soon after, she was confronted by female police personnel and removed from the site. She was subsequently detained and taken to the Parliament Street Police Station.

According to Maliwal, she was released after a few hours and an FIR was registered against her under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code for violating prohibitory orders.

After her release, Maliwal told reporters, “For the past ten years, Arvind Kejriwal has ensured that Delhi becomes a giant garbage dump. Roads are broken, drains are overflowing, and waste is piling up everywhere. Women and children are forced to live in unhygienic conditions, and yet the government does nothing.” 

Earlier, Maliwal shared a video on X, showing her and others collecting garbage from Vikaspuri. “There have been heaps of garbage on the roads in Vikaspuri for years. People are very angry. They are going to collect all this garbage and dump it at Kejriwal’s house,” she wrote in the post.

She added, “The condition of the entire Delhi has deteriorated. The filth and stink that Delhiites face daily will be faced by Kejriwal ji today. The public is coming, Kejriwal ji, don’t be afraid.” Maliwal has had a strained relationship with AAP and Kejriwal since last year when she alleged that she was misbehaved with at his residence by his personal secretary. The matter is currently being heard in court.

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

New Delhi:

The Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday rejected the third and final part of the BJP manifesto ‘Sankalp Patra’ as a “Jumla Patra”, claiming the saffron party has copied AAP’s schemes and policies, and it seems they have already admitted their defeat in the assembly polls.

With less than two weeks to go for the assembly polls, senior BJP leader Amit Shah released the final part of the BJP manifesto Saturday, promising to clean Yamuna in three years, providing complete ownership rights of plots in 1,700 unauthorised colonies, and implementing welfare measures for gig workers and labourers.

Addressing a press conference after Shah’s announcement, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said it was the BJP’s “Jumla Patra”.

Shah announced 50,000 jobs if the BJP came to power in Delhi that has a population of 3.5 crore, he said.

“It appears from the BJP’s manifesto and the announcements made by Shah, that it has already admitted that it is losing the elections and not going to form government,” Sisodia said.

Instead of presenting any vision or plan for Delhi, Shah abused Arvind Kejriwal, he charged. “Kejriwal, whom Shah abused, has got a plan (for Delhi). He provided 12 lakh jobs during COVID,” Sisosida asserted.

The former Deputy chief minister also alleged the BJP was behind sealing of shops in Delhi that Shah has promised to deseal if his party comes to power. “When the AAP came to power, efforts were made to deseal the shops but BJP leaders prevented it,” he alleged.

Rather than giving “Jumlas”, Shah should focus on providing security to the people of Delhi including traders “who are living under fear due to poor law and order in the city”.

Shah also promised proving life insurance cover for lawyers and electric buses in the city both of which were already introduced by the AAP government, Sisodia claimed.

While releasing the BJP manifesto, Shah also slammed Kejriwal, accusing him of “lying” and not fulfilling his promises and asserted that “getting rid of liars and betrayers” is the biggest poll issue in the national capital.

The BJP manifesto also promised free travel of up to Rs 4,000 annually for needy students in Delhi Metro under the National Common Mobility Card scheme.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said in a post in Hindi, “Today, Amit Shah came to Delhi and abused me and left. Will Delhi develop by abusing me? The BJP has neither any plan nor any vision for Delhi. If nothing else, why not just repeat the facilities we are providing? The BJP has surrendered. The BJP’s election is over.” On the BJP’s promise to give full ownership rights to people living in Delhi’s unauthorised colonies, he said, “This is the same promise that the Prime Minister made in 2015 and 2020. Now again the same old promise? You don’t even hesitate to lie so openly. False promises in every election?” 

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

New Delhi:

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday launched the third part of the BJP manifesto for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, scheduled for February 5.

The party has announced several promises, ranging from granting ownership rights to people in refugee colonies to reopening 13,000 sealed shops in the national capital.

Addressing the event, Amit Shah said, “Modi ji has announced the granting of ownership rights to more than 1,700 unauthorized colonies. Previously, these colonies did not have permission for construction, buying, or selling. Now, by granting them full ownership rights and aligning with the Ministry of Housing’s regulations and Delhi’s by-laws, we will give them the right to construct and sell.”

“13,000 shops in Delhi are sealed, and we have worked with lawyers to find a legal path to reopen them. We will create a judicial authority and reopen these shops within six months to resume operations. Refugee colonies that have been established since 1947, such as Rajendra Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, and Kingsway Camp, currently have people on lease; they cannot sell or buy the land. We will grant ownership rights to all these refugees who have land on lease in these colonies in the first Cabinet meeting,” Shah added.

The Home Minister also announced the establishment of a Workers Welfare Board in Delhi, which will ensure that all workers have life insurance coverage of up to 10 lakh and accident insurance of up to 5 lakh.

“We will apply the same formula for textile workers. We will provide Rs 10,000 as assistance to workers, and for registered workers, we will offer loans up to 3 lakh to enhance skills and businesses,” he said.

He further highlighted that the BJP would provide 50,000 government jobs to the youth of Delhi without any corruption.

“And by creating 20 lakh self-employment opportunities, we will help the youth find employment. Through an investment of 20,000 crore, we will develop an integrated public transport network and convert 13,000 buses into electric buses, making Delhi a 100% electric bus city under the BJP government,” he said.

He also underlined that to promote tourism, they will collaborate with the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments to create a Mahabharata corridor.

“We will develop the Yamuna Riverfront, similar to the Sabarmati Riverfront. I would like to invite Kejriwal to join us after 3 years of our government to take a dip in the Yamuna with his family. We will end manual scavenging 100% and eliminate this inhumane practice completely,” he said,

The Union Home Minister also recalled the BJP’s promises from its earlier two manifestos. 

He said, “For every pregnant woman, we will provide financial assistance of Rs 12,000 and give six nutrition kits. LPG cylinders will be available for Rs 500, and BJP will provide one free LPG cylinder to every sister on Holi and Diwali. Under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, we will provide free treatment up to 5 lakh in the first Cabinet meeting to every poor person. Any treatment beyond 5 lakh will be covered by the Delhi government, ensuring that every poor person in Delhi receives treatment up to 10 lakh at no cost, even at major hospitals.”

He also mentioned that the BJP government would increase the pension for senior citizens from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 per month.

“For women’s welfare, we will increase the pension for widows and destitute women from 2,500 Rs to 3,000 Rs per month. We will establish Atal Canteens in JJ Clusters, providing nutritious meals for just Rs 5,” he said.

“We will give a corruption-free and transparent state government. Scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students will receive 1,000 Rs per month under the Ambedkar Stipend Scheme. Auto and taxi drivers will receive 10 lakh life insurance and 5 lakh accident insurance. A welfare board will be set up for domestic workers, and we will provide six months of paid maternity leave to mothers. We will double the PM Swanidhi scheme and provide financial aid to street vendors,” he said.

The Delhi assembly elections will take place in a single phase on February 5. The counting of votes will happen on February 8.

A three-way contest is expected in Delhi between the ruling AAP, BJP, and Congress. AAP dominated the 2020 assembly elections by winning 62 out of 70 seats, while the BJP secured eight seats. Congress, which was in power for 15 consecutive years in Delhi, has suffered setbacks in the last two assembly elections and has failed to win any seat.

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

The middle class is a victim of tax terrorism and has been reduced to the government’s ATM, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal said today. Mr Kejriwal, whose outreach to middle class comes two weeks ahead of the February 5 election in Delhi, also listed seven Budget demands from the Centre that AAP MPs will raise in Parliament for the interests of the middle class.

“Some poll promises are made for the underprivileged classes, and some for a few industrialists. On the grounds of caste and religion, other parties have created a vote bank. And they need donations from industrialists, so they are the note bank. Between this vote bank and note bank, a large section is sandwiched. This is India’s middle class,” he said in a video message.

Mr Kejriwal said successive governments after Independence have crushed and squeezed the middle class. “The relationship between the government and the middle class is strange. They don’t do anything for the middle class. But whenever the government needs to, they target the middle class through tax. Middle class pays huge taxes, but gets nothing in return. India’s middle class has been reduced to the government’s ATM. It is a victim of tax terrorism,” he said.

The middle class, he said, does not have very big demands. “They want a good job or business, a house of their own, quality education for their children. They just want health and safety for their family. He only hopes for a little help from the government. But the government is making neither schools nor hospitals, it is not creating jobs and not ensuring safety either,” he said.

Mr Kejriwal said that if all taxes are added up, a middle class person gives more than 50 per cent of his income to the government. “How can he/she dare to fulfill their dreams amid this tax terrorism? The truth is that for a young middle class couple, family planning has now become a financial decision. Before having a child, they ask themselves if they can afford the upbringing. Where have we reached,” he said, adding that people were leaving the country due to high taxes.

Mr Kejriwal said the AAP government in Delhi spends the people’s money for their welfare. He underlined that Delhi government hiked the education budget, transformed state-run schools and also barred private schools from increasing fees. “We lowered power and water bills to shield you from inflation. Delhi residents get the cheapest power among all major cities,” he said. The AAP leader also showcased Delhi government’s work in the healthcare sector and said the highest demand for mohalla clinics are in middle-class residential areas.

New Delhi:

All such persons should be barred from contesting elections, the Supreme Court on Monday remarked as it deferred to January 21 the hearing on a plea filed by former councillor and Delhi riots accused Tahir Hussain who has sought interim bail to campaign for the upcoming Delhi assembly polls.

A bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and Ahsanuddin Amanullah adjourned the hearing due to paucity of time but just as it was rising for the day, Hussain’s lawyer mentioned the matter and requested for a hearing on January 21.

“It is easy to win elections sitting in jail. All such persons should be barred from contesting the elections,” the bench remarked in response.

His lawyer submitted Hussain’s nomination was accepted.

The Delhi High Court on January 14 granted custody parole to Hussain to file nomination papers from the Mustafabad constituency on an AIMIM ticket.

It, however, refused his plea for interim bail from January 14 to February 9 to fight the polls, saying the gravity of allegations against Hussain, being the main perpetrator in the violence, resulting in the death of several persons, could not be overlooked.

The high court said about 11 FIRs were registered against him in connection with the riots and he was admittedly in custody in a related money laundering case and UAPA case.

The senior counsel counsel appearing for Hussain argued fighting elections was a complicated process, which required him to not only file his nomination by January 17 but also open a bank account and campaign.

Maintaining that contesting elections was not a fundamental right, the police had alleged that Hussain who was the “main conspirator” and “funder” of the February 2020 riots could complete formalities and fight polls on custody parole.

Violence broke out in northeast Delhi on February 24, 2020, leaving 53 dead and several injured.

According to the prosecution, on February 26, 2020, complainant Ravinder Kumar informed the Dayalpur Police Station that his son Ankit Sharma, posted in the Intelligence Bureau, was missing since February 25, 2020.

Sharma’s mortal remains were reportedly recovered from Khajuri Khas nullah in the riot-affected area and his body bore 51 injuries.

Hussain, in the bail plea, said he spent 4.9 years in jail and though the trial started in the case, only 20 of the 114 prosecution witnesses were examined so far.

Pleading he had suffered a long incarceration, Hussain said the fact that several witnesses were still left to be examined meant the trial wouldn’t be over soon.

The co-accused, his plea said, allegedly involved in the riotous mob and committing the offence of murder were granted bail by the high court. 

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

New Delhi:

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday made a pit stop to savour vegetable momo at a roadside stall while out campaigning.

The AAP shared a video on X from its official handle, showing Kejriwal eating steamed momo amid cheers from supporters.

“The relation between momo and Delhiites is a bit deeper. During campaigning in New Delhi, a momo seller offering Kejriwal momos to eat,” the party said in its post.

Kejriwal, an MLA from the New Delhi constituency since 2013, faces challenge from BJP’s Parvesh Verma and Congress’ Sandeep Dikshit, who have allowed no let up in their attacks on the former chief minister in their jousting for Delhi’s throne.

In the video, the AAP supremo can be heard asking the vendor for one piece of “veg momo”. He then picks one piece from a plate and invites others to share the rest with him.

दिल्लीवालों और मोमो का रिश्ता थोड़ा गहरा है

नई दिल्ली विधानसभा में चुनाव प्रचार के दौरान एक मोमो वाले भाई ने दिल्ली के बेटे @ArvindKejriwal जी को रोककर खिलाये मोमो pic.twitter.com/ydnOddSK5y

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) January 19, 2025

“Na,” Kejriwal said, when the seller asked him, “chutney khate ho (do you eat chutney)?” The election for the 70-member Delhi Assembly will be held on February 5. Results of the polls will be declared on February 8.

The Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party has pulled all the stops to retain its power in Delhi for a third time in a row. The party routed the BJP and Congress back-to-back in 2015 and 2020 Assembly polls in Delhi.

The BJP was reduced to just three seats in 2015 and then eight seats in 2020 elections, while the Congress drew blank both times. 

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

New Delhi:

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, who is seeking re-election from Kalkaji in next month’s Assembly elections, on Sunday hit out at her rival BJP candidate Ramesh Bidhuri for his alleged remarks on her family made last week.

In an interview with PTI Videos, Atishi also claimed that her crowd-funding initiative launched on Sunday morning generated Rs 17 lakh in donations within just 10 hours.

Atishi, who defeated BJP’s Dharambir Singh in 2020, said she will proceed to file her nomination for the February 5 polls at the district magistrate’s office after praying at the Kalkaji temple and at a gurdwara.

On her BJP rival’s recent remarks, Atishi said, “Bidhuri has shown his character. Within 24 hours of getting a ticket, he made an indecent comment on Priyanka Gandhi. In the next 24 hours, he abused me and my family from Prime Minister Modi’s stage at a rally.” At a ‘Parivaratan’ rally of the BJP in Rohini last week, Bidhuri targeted Atishi for dropping her surname and went on to say that she “changed her father”.

“Not a single BJP leader has said that Bidhuri was wrong, or asked him to apologise to Pryanka Gandhi or me (for his remarks),” Atishi said.

“This means the BJP supports Bidhuri’s indecent language and the abuses he hurled at women. Had they not, they would have said he was wrong and asked him to apologise to Priayanka Gandhi and me. But they did not do so,” she added.

Before targeting Atishi, Bidhuri had stoked a controversy by claiming that he would make roads which are like Congress leader “Priyanka Gandhi’s cheeks” in his constituency, a comment for which he later expressed regret.

Atishi, who launched her crowd-funding campaign to contest the polls on Sunday, called the initiative an “example of honesty”.

“I need Rs 40 lakh to contest the polls which is .0005 per cent of the budget of our government. AAP is a party that never earned even a single penny dishonestly and that is why we still seek donations from the people to fight the elections,” she said.

The campaign launched at 10 am raised Rs 17 lakh by 8 pm in the form of small donations worth Rs 100 and similar amounts, which show the donors were commoners wishing to support AAP, she claimed.

“I hope the target will be met in coming days,” she said.

Amid BJP’s claims that AAP was helping illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas staying in Delhi to become voters to use them as vote banks, Atishi hit back by questioning the security on the borders under the BJP-led Central government.

“Amit Shah should tell from where these Bangladeshis and Rohingyas came. He is responsible for border security and stopping infiltration through the India-Bangladesh borders,” she said.

“How did the Rohingyas reach Delhi? What does it speak of the law and order and security arrangements if they managed to reach Delhi after crossing the borders and passing through many states. If Rohingyas have reached Delhi, only the BJP is responsible for it,” Atishi said.

Talking about her re-election bid from Kalkaji, she said the constituency was her “Karmbhumi” for the last five years where people considered her as their own “daughter and sister”.

Expressing hopes of getting the wholehearted support of the voters this time as well, Atishi said she developed the constituency by treating its residents like her own family.

The 70-member Delhi Assembly will go to polls on February 5. The results will be out on February 8.

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

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.