With just days to go before the high-stakes Delhi Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), spearheaded by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, have intensified their campaigns, setting the stage for a fierce electoral battle.
The AAP is campaigning on its welfare model, emphasizing schemes like 24-hour free electricity for the underprivileged, quality education, free water, and accessible healthcare. At a press conference on Sunday, Kejriwal criticized the BJP, accusing it of prioritizing loans for “billionaire friends” over public welfare.
Drawing a stark comparison between the two parties’ models, Kejriwal said, “The BJP gives your money to billionaires and then waives it off. The AAP provides free electricity, water, and the best healthcare and education. If BJP comes to power, these facilities will stop because they are against their model.”
At a rally in Jangpura, Kejriwal warned voters about the consequences of supporting the BJP: “If you want zero electricity bills, vote for AAP. If you want hefty electricity bills, vote for BJP. They’ve already said they will end subsidies if they form the government.”
Senior AAP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia assured voters that the party would maintain its focus on grassroots governance. “If I become MLA, the people of Jangpura will have direct access to government offices. No government employee will dare ignore their calls,” he said.
The BJP, on the other hand, has intensified its criticism of AAP, accusing the ruling party of corruption, broken promises, and misgovernance.
At a rally in Narela, Amit Shah declared, “On February 8, Delhi will be free from Kejriwal’s ‘misgovernance.’ Prime Minister Modi called AAP an ‘aapda’ (disaster), and this disaster will end with these elections.” He also accused Kejriwal’s government of neglecting key issues, such as waterlogging, garbage management, and infrastructure, which he claimed had worsened during AAP’s tenure.
Shah further alleged that AAP insulted Purvanchali voters, saying, “They’ve called Purvanchalis fake voters. Do people from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand not have voting rights in Delhi?”
BJP’s New Delhi candidate, Parvesh Verma, accused AAP of distributing money for votes, claiming, “AAP workers are giving Rs 500 notes wrapped in calendars in slum areas. Cases have been registered against them.” Verma also alleged that thousands of paid workers had been hired to campaign for AAP using public funds.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, campaigning for the BJP, echoed Shah’s sentiments, saying, “Delhi will be free from Kejriwal on February 8. The people of Delhi have tolerated him for 10 years. It’s time for change.”
The elections, scheduled for February 5, will witness 699 candidates contesting for 70 Assembly seats. The counting of votes will take place on February 8.
AAP, which dominated the 2015 and 2020 elections with landslide victories of 67 and 62 seats respectively, is aiming for a third term. Meanwhile, the BJP, out of power in Delhi for nearly three decades, is leaving no stone unturned to regain control of the capital.
The Congress, once a dominant force with 15 consecutive years in power, continues to struggle, failing to win any seats in the past two assembly elections.
As the polling date approaches, the battle for Delhi intensifies, with AAP banking on its welfare schemes and governance model, while the BJP aims to capitalize on anti-incumbency and promises of a “double-engine government.”
