Sunday, 23 March 2025
Sunday, 23 March 2025
Hours before the Delhi Assembly poll results, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to poach its candidates by offering bribes.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena directed an Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) investigation into Kejriwal’s allegations and this led to a visit to Arvind Kejriwal’s residence by an ACB team and a series of counterclaims from both parties.
ACB probe and political accusations
After AAP’s allegations, the Lieutenant Governor’s office stated in a letter to the chief secretary, “Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been making allegations that the BJP is offering bribes to its MLAs to quit the party and join the BJP. The lieutenant governor has directed that this matter merits a thorough investigation through the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to establish the truth.”
The probe team visited Arvind Kejriwal’s residence but later left. AAP’s legal cell chief Sanjeev Nasiar said the ACB had neither a warrant nor mandate for investigation. They were just sitting outside Kejriwal’s house and were unclear about their purpose, he added.
The Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on Friday served a legal notice to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, seeking details and evidence regarding his allegations that the BJP attempted to bribe his party candidates ahead of the Delhi Assembly election results.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh, who filed a complaint at the ACB office, said, “BJP is indulging in horse trading and they have offered Rs 15 crore each to our MLAs and ministers. I am here at the ACB office to file a complaint against BJP.”
AAP MLA candidate Vinay Mishra claimed the BJP approached him with an offer: “A member of the ‘Galli Galoch Party’ came to me yesterday and told me that if I join their party before the announcement of election results, I would get Rs 15 crores, and if I bring along another person, I would get a minister post. When the surveys are in their favour, then why are they coming to us? It means the surveys are wrong.”
AAP leader Gopal Rai insisted exit polls predicting a BJP win were a psychological tactic. “Under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, a meeting of all AAP MLAs was held today in which all candidates gave their report. As per their reports, AAP will win around 50 seats and there will be a close fight on 6-7 seats. The way ‘Galli Galoch Party’ is trying to create an atmosphere through exit polls that they will form the government, but their desperation shows the reality.”
Exit polls Wednesday predicted a BJP sweep in Delhi after 27 years, unseating AAP, which has been in power since 2015.
BJP National Vice President Baijayant Jay Panda dismissed AAP’s claims: “This is the latest episode of ‘Dramebaaz’... We take members after vetting them. We do not need any right now. All the exit polls (of Delhi Elections) are giving us good results.”
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, said: “We are taking the allegations of horse trading seriously and the party would have already filed a complaint about it. What is the basis of these allegations? BJP will not tolerate it... There is no department in Delhi government that didn’t make people cry—pollution, dirty water, polluted river, broken streets, gutter water flowing into the streets, stopping pensions for senior citizens, not making ration cards for poor... There are 700 schools without principals... I am fully confident that tomorrow AAP, which has become AAP-da today, will go out of power in Delhi.”
The BJP was earlier accused of horse trading charges in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh polls too in the past few years. This has prompted opposition leaders to give these attempts a name—Operation Lotus.
AAP has also linked the Delhi election with Friday’s news conference of Rahul Gandhi against the Election Commission (EC). Kejriwal accused the EC of not ensuring transparency in the election process.
Arvind Kejriwal wrote on X, “EC has refused to upload form 17C and number of votes polled per booth in each assembly despite several requests. Aam Aadmi Party has made a website—http://transparentelections.in—where we have uploaded all the form 17C of every assembly. This form has all the details of votes polled in each booth.”
Earlier in the day, in a joint news conference with the NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi claimed the poll body added more voters in Maharashtra electoral rolls than the state’s adult population.
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis also linked the news conference and linked it to the Delhi polls. He said Gandhi’s claim stems from his party’s imminent defeat in the Delhi assembly polls.
Delhi police announced stringent security measures before the high octane counting day. Special Commissioner of Police Devesh Chandra Srivastva stated, “We have made robust security arrangements (for counting day). Only authorised personnel will be allowed inside the counting centres, where the use of mobile phones will be strictly prohibited.”
