New Delhi: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi came to the defense of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday, accusing the BJP of trying to create confusion among voters in the capital ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections scheduled for February 5, 2025.
Chaturvedi pointed out that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been consistently raising concerns about the manipulation of voter lists, particularly the addition and deletion of names. She suggested that the BJP, lacking substantive issues to campaign on, was attempting to divert attention by politicizing the issue of voter registration.
“Aam Aadmi Party has been continuously highlighting how votes are being strategically cut. BJP has no other issue left to campaign on, so they are trying to make this an issue because they know the people of Delhi trust Arvind Kejriwal,” Chaturvedi said. She further clarified that Kejriwal had not made any direct statements blaming the Election Commission but rather emphasized that the responsibility for voter registration lies with the Election Commission.
Earlier in the day, AAP MP Sanjay Singh held a press conference accusing BJP leaders of undermining the Election Commission’s integrity through electoral fraud. He specifically targeted BJP candidate from New Delhi, Parvesh Verma, accusing him of occupying an MP bungalow from May to January and attempting to register 33 votes at the address. Singh also named Union Ministers Pankaj Chaudhary and Kamlesh Paswan, alleging they had tried to register multiple votes at their respective addresses.
Chaturvedi also expressed frustration with Congress for failing to convene a meeting to discuss the status of the INDIA alliance after the Lok Sabha elections. She criticized the Congress leadership, calling for clarification regarding the future of the alliance.
“When the atmosphere surrounding the Lok Sabha elections and their results was created, a meeting should have been held, but it did not happen. Now that the Congress party is leading, as the largest national party, they should have called a meeting to discuss the INDIA alliance,” Chaturvedi said. She also pointed out that Congress had made a one-sided statement regarding the future of the alliance, suggesting it would no longer exist after the Lok Sabha elections, and called on Congress to clarify its position to the public.
The Delhi Assembly elections will take place on February 5, with the vote counting scheduled for February 8. The last date for filing nominations is January 17, with scrutiny on January 18 and withdrawal by January 20.
A three-way contest is anticipated in Delhi between the ruling AAP, BJP, and Congress. Congress, which held power in Delhi for 15 consecutive years, has faced setbacks in the last two assembly elections, winning no seats in 2020, when AAP secured a sweeping victory with 62 out of 70 seats, while the BJP won just eight.
