AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal formally complained to the Election Commission (EC) that the Bharatiya Janata Party has been involved in electoral malpractice in the New Delhi assembly constituency, from which Kejriwal will contest in upcoming elections. Kejriwal charges the BJP with trying to manipulate the electoral roll by adding thousands of new voters and removing existing ones in a bid to influence the election outcome in its favor.
Allegations of Voter Manipulation
Kejriwal’s grievance is based on the argument that BJP-associated persons attempted to enlist 13,000 fresh voters in the electoral roll in the last 15 days, at the same time applying to have 5,500 voters removed from the New Delhi constituency. These deletions and additions were reportedly done within a very short period, giving rise to the suspicion of foul play. According to Kejriwal, this could be an attempt to rig the election by tampering with the voter base.
Kejriwal described that within the last 22 days, 5,500 applications were received to get the voters’ names removed from the electoral roll, which amounts to nearly 5.5% of the total electorate in New Delhi constituency, where almost one lakh voters are enrolled. Shockingly, when some of the voters whose names had been allegedly deleted were contacted by the Election Commission, they said that they had not filed any deletion requests, and this was said by each of them, suggesting manipulation at some level of the process.
Election Officials and BJP’s Alleged Misconduct
Kejriwal also accused the son of BJP leader Sahib Singh Verma, Parvesh Verma, of bribing voters and distributing money to influence the election. He called for action against Verma, including a raid at his residence to check any illicit funds.
In addition, Kejriwal further claimed that the local election officials were “surrendering” to the BJP and facilitating the party’s alleged wrongful actions. He has demanded suspension of those officials and claims that they had abetted the manipulation.
Call for Action and Fair Elections
Kejriwal expressed confidence over the Election Commission dealing with these allegations and hoped that appropriate measures would be taken to punish those involved in these irregularities. Kejriwal has called for urgent investigation into all activities of the BJP and has hoped that the commission would take strong decisions to maintain the purity of the election process.
Delhi Assembly Elections and Key Contestants
The Delhi assembly elections are scheduled to be held on February 5, 2025, and the counting of votes will take place on February 8. The elections are likely to be a close contest as Kejriwal is facing a triangular contest. BJP has fielded Parvesh Verma, son of former Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma, while the Congress party has nominated Sandeep Dikshit, son of former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Kejriwal has been the MLA from New Delhi since 2013 and is looking to secure a fourth term in the assembly.
The Delhi assembly elections are scheduled to be held on February 5, 2025, and the counting of votes will take place on February 8.
As the political heat intensifies in the run-up to the Delhi assembly elections, Kejriwal’s allegations against the BJP have added fuel to an already charged atmosphere. The AAP leader’s complaints bring into focus concerns about voter manipulation and election integrity in one of the country’s most politically significant states. The Election Commission’s response to these serious allegations will be closely watched as the election date approaches.