Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh on Wednesday accused the Delhi Police of detaining his party worker, Uday Gill, who had recently joined AAP, without any reason. Singh took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his concern, writing, “One of our workers, Uday, has been detained at Mandir Marg police station without any reason. I am present at the police station.”
In response, the official handle of the DCP New Delhi clarified the situation, stating, “He is detained because he was physically forcing people to come to a particular political party table along with his accomplice.”
Singh further alleged that BJP workers were preventing AAP members from sitting at a table near a polling booth in Tughlaq Lane. In a post on X, he wrote, “BJP’s hooliganism at Tughlaq Lane booth is not allowing our workers to sit at the table.”
DCP New Delhi responded, explaining that the extra table placed by AAP workers violated Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines. “There was an extra table and party symbol on the table, violating ECI guidelines. Therefore, the extra table and party symbol were removed,” the post read.
In a conversation with ANI, Singh reiterated his claims that the police had not provided a clear explanation for Gill’s detention, accusing the authorities of registering false cases against his party. He also appealed to voters to stand against this “hooliganism.”
Singh went on to allege that BJP was distributing cash to influence voters in the North Avenue N Block area, claiming Rs 2000-3000 was given out, and people’s fingers were marked with ink even if they had not voted. He said that when he arrived at the scene, the perpetrators fled in a vehicle with a Haryana registration plate.
“Uday Gill, a respected former Chaupal Head of the Valmiki community, has been detained since 8:30 am without any reason. I have spoken with the Election Observer, DCP, and SHO, but he has still not been released,” Singh said. He further appealed to the Valmiki community in Delhi to respond with their votes against “this tyranny.”
Additionally, AAP’s Greater Kailash candidate and Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj accused the Delhi Police of obstructing voters at a polling station in Chirag Delhi. Bhardwaj claimed that barricades had been placed to prevent voters from reaching the booths and alleged that police officers from Malviya Nagar were involved in trying to influence the election process in areas with a strong AAP presence.
He also criticized the police for preventing access to polling booths for around 21,000 voters, saying that people could not reach the booths via metro or road due to barricades. Bhardwaj questioned the authorities, asking, “Why were barricades placed? Which senior officer instructed this?”
Polling for 70 Delhi Assembly seats began on Wednesday morning at 7:00 am. The election is taking place under heightened security, with voting scheduled to end at 6:00 pm. The counting of votes will take place on February 8.