Security personnel near a strongroom in Gole Market on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to poach his party’s candidates. While making the claim on X, the AAP chief, instead of directly naming the BJP, said that “the party that engages in hurling verbal abuses” had offered ₹15 crore each to 16 AAP candidates to switch over.
“In the last two hours, 16 of our candidates have received calls saying they should leave AAP and join their party. They [the BJP] will make them [AAP’s Assembly poll candidates] Ministers and will give them ₹15 crore each,” Mr. Kejriwal claimed in the post issued at 8.47 p.m.
“If their party is getting more than 55 seats, then what is the need to call our candidates? Obviously, fake surveys have been conducted so that an atmosphere is created in their favour, and they can steal our candidates,” the former Delhi Chief Minister said in the post in Hindi, adding, “They will not be able to break away even one of our candidates.”
Denying the allegations, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said AAP leaders have been in a state of panic ever since the Election Commission announced the poll schedule for the national capital.
“The frustration of AAP leaders after being rejected by the public in yesterday’s polling is now clearly visible. In their desperation, AAP leaders have resorted to making baseless allegations,” he said.
‘Operation Lotus’
Addressing a press conference on the issue, senior AAP leader and party’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh said, “Two things are clear. First, the BJP has accepted defeat in Delhi, and second, it has started ‘Operation Lotus’ to poach our candidates.” He didn’t reveal the names of the party candidates who had received the purported offer, but said that “the proof will be shared at an appropriate time”.
Polling for the 70-member Assembly was held on Wednesday. The result will be declared on Saturday.
Published – February 07, 2025 12:37 am IST