Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide free electricity in the National Democratic Alliance-ruled states before the Delhi assembly elections, promising to campaign for the saffron party if he fulfills this demand.
The high-octane campaigning for the February 5 Delhi Assembly elections concluded at 6 pm on Monday, with big guns from all three major parties holding roadshows, public meetings, padayatras and bike rallies in a final push to sway voters. The Aam Aadmi Party remains confident of securing a third consecutive term, highlighting its governance record and welfare schemes. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), aiming to reclaim power in Delhi after more than 25 years, held 22 roadshows and rallies across the city. The Congress, seeking a revival after failing to win any seats in the last two elections, also intensified its efforts. The election battle has seen sharp political exchanges, with AI-generated spoofs, catchy slogans, and roadshows dominating the discourse. The outcome of this fiercely contested election will determine whether the AAP continues its dominance, the BJP breaks its losing streak, or Congress makes a surprising comeback. The final verdict will be revealed on February 8, as Delhi awaits the results of what has been one of its most high-stakes electoral battles.
The BJP, meanwhile, asked Kejriwal to learn "spirit of service" from the RSS leaving behind his "political moves" instead of writing to Bhagwat to draw "media attention".
Arvind Kejriwal, Mr Anti-Establishment, wants to play politics without being branded as the typical Indian politician so that he can make his mark in the 2014 general election. While hiding his political manoeuvring, the Aam Admi Party's maverick leader is seeking fresh intervention in the agenda of the nation by agitating on the footpaths of New Delhi, says Sheela Bhatt.
With such announcements grabbing the voters' attention, critical issues like pollution, especially the smog that chokes Delhi every winter, remain largely unaddressed. Many residents have raised concerns over the lack of concrete action plans to combat air pollution, which continues to pose a severe health risk to Delhiites.
'For the first time in 66 years, here is a leader who democratically dares to take on the establishment by raising the right kind of questions. When will the poor get justice? For how many years will the migration of the poor to cities like Mumbai continue? How long will the poor sleep on the pavements and when will all this end?'
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will face a crucial vote of confidence on Thursday in the Delhi assembly.
The federal agency has filed a chargesheet against the 56-year-old politician before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court here last year after arresting him in March.
The election of Vijender Gupta, a three-time BJP MLA, as the speaker of the Delhi Assembly has sparked controversy, with AAP members accusing the BJP of being "anti-Dalit and anti-Sikh." The accusations stem from the removal of photographs of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh from the chief minister's office, a move condemned by AAP leaders as a display of the BJP's alleged anti-Dalit and anti-Sikh stance.
The Election Commission on Thursday asked its Delhi chief electoral officer to probe the Aam Aadmi Party's complaints against Bharatiya Janata Party leader Parvesh Verma and allegations of additions and deletions in the electoral roll of the New Delhi assembly seat.
Congress does unto AAP what Kejriwal's party had done to it in Haryana.
AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressing concern over the "deteriorating" law and order situation in Delhi, citing rising crime rates and recent bomb threats to schools and the IGI airport. Kejriwal has sought a meeting with Shah to discuss the issue, calling the city the country's "crime capital". The letter comes ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls scheduled for February 2025.
Moderate turnout was recorded in the first four hours of polling across five assembly constituencies across Punjab, West Bengal, Gujarat and Kerala where bypolls are underway on Thursday.
Says that the minister has a conflict of interest because his son has been a counsel for Vodafone.
Amid intelligence reports of a pro-Khalistan group plotting an attack against him, Delhi Chief Ministerial candidate Arvind Kejriwal responded with faith, stating "God will save him." The threat comes ahead of the February 5 Delhi Assembly polls, with authorities reviewing Kejriwal's security and deploying round-the-clock surveillance.
The resurrection of AAP has a lot of similarity with BJP's revival
Maliwal said that she is not aware whether she was beaten on the instructions of anyone or by himself or of his own accord and that this is all a matter of investigation.
The police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in the area on Sunday to maintain law and order.
Punjab Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa has claimed that 32 AAP MLAs are in touch with him to switch sides, a claim that has been denied by the ruling AAP. Bajwa also alleged that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is in touch with the BJP and will join them if Arvind Kejriwal removes him. The leader of the opposition in the state assembly asserted that he has never made any wrong statement and that the Congress has no intention to topple the AAP government. The AAP's state unit president Aman Arora slammed Bajwa's claims, alleging that it was the Congress leader who was set to join the BJP and that he had already made an advance booking with the BJP. Arora also asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to clarify what Bajwa was doing in Bengaluru a few days ago and which senior BJP leaders he met.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released the first part of its manifesto for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, promising Rs 2,500 monthly aid for women, LPG cylinders at Rs 500, and Rs 2,500 pension for senior citizens. BJP president JP Nadda also assured that all existing public welfare schemes in Delhi will continue if the party is voted to power. The manifesto also includes a promise to implement the 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme in Delhi, providing additional health cover of Rs 5 lakh.
'Prashant Kishor is a businessman before he is a politician, and given that the expected average turnout for JSP candidates is 5,000 to 6,000 votes and since Bihar has a significant number of seats where the margin between the winner and runner-up falls within that range he will capitalise on exactly that to showcase his presence.'
Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, who is now geared up for the next stage of his civil disobedience movement, will end his two-week long fast against inflated power and water bills at 5 pm on Saturday. Kejriwal on Friday appealed to the residents of the national capital to help his team in reconnecting the power supply to homes that are without electricity because of unpaid bills during the next stage of his movement.
Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal will soon vacate the official residence of Delhi chief minister in Civil Lines area of the city, with an intensive search on to look for a new house near his New Delhi constituency, the party said on Saturday.
The Delhi assembly results have underscored that a section of Arvind Kejriwal's committed supporters abandoned him because they were let down by his refusal to take a stand on crucial issues that impinge on the security and Constitutionally enshrined rights of the people, notes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday alleged a 'deep conspiracy' to eliminate its convener Arvind Kejriwal and warned that the Bharatiya Janata Party will be responsible if anything happens to him.
The central leadership will decide on who it will be, BJP's Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva said.
Results of the Delhi assembly election are not a vindication of Prime Minister's Narendra Modi's policies but a referendum on Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party, the Congress said on Saturday as it vowed to bounce back from another whitewash.
Meanwhile, sources said that the Delhi Police may not visit Kejriwal's residence on Thursday to question his parents.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday examined Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in Tihar Jail and recorded his statement related to the excise policy case.
Vishal Dadlani, Gul Panag, Javed Jaffrey speak up following celebrations.
He asserted that the AAP cared for the people of Delhi and that's why they announced financial assistance for the Resident Welfare Associations to help people ensure better security in their neighbourhood by hiring private security guards.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena expressed concern over AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal labelling Atishi a "temporary chief minister" and called it a "flagrant disregard for the democratic spirit and values enshrined in the Constitution". In his letter to Atishi, Saxena said Kejriwal's remark was an insult to President Droupadi Murmu, who appointed her, as well as himself as her representative. Hitting back, Atishi alleged the lieutenant governor's office was working as a BJP "proxy" and asserted that Kejriwal was Delhi's "tallest leader".
With the Aam Aadmi Party facing 'anti-incumbency' in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal is 'panicking' and is trying to pressure the Congress through its partners but 'we are not going to make any kind of alliance' with his party, city Congress chief Devender Yadav said on Thursday.
Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday, seeking answers to five questions on the Bharatiya Janata Party's politics and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's actions.
The Uddhav faction was shocked to see Pawar felicitate Shinde with an award.
The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday announced its second list of 20 candidates for the upcoming Delhi assembly polls, fielding senior party leader Manish Sisodia from the Jangpura seat.
Is the AAP a natural fit for the Opposition space and a misfit in government space? Does it believe in due processes and systems that accompany the democratic setup? Or, does it believe the end justifies the means, even if it means junking the framework within which governments function in a democracy? In an EXCLUSIVE, Arvind Kejriwal will appear on the Rediff Chat on Tuesday, February 18, 2014, at 11 am IST to answer these and other questions.
The BJP has fielded former MP Parvesh Verma from the New Delhi seat against Arvind Kejriwal.
The Delhi Assembly elections saw BJP's Karnail Singh emerge as the richest winner with assets worth Rs 259 crore, Umang Bajaj at 31 as the youngest winner, Tilak Ram Gupta as the oldest contestant at 73, and AAP's Amanatullah Khan the candidate with the highest, 19, criminal cases. Several winning candidates have pending criminal cases, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms.
Congress received more votes than the wining margin in 14 constituencies where Bharatiya Janata Party emerged victorious defeating Aam Aadmi Party candidates, including former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his former deputy Manish Sisodia.
