AAP, BJP tussle over Purvanchal voters

The AAP alleged that BJP registered “fake voters from Uttar Pradesh Bihar and neighbouring states”

New Delhi

BJP chief JP Nadda in a conversation with Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday got into a war of words over alleged manipulation of electoral rolls in the New Delhi assembly segment—a claim reiterated by the AAP, to which the BJP accused the AAP of “insulting voters”.

The AAP alleged that BJP registered “fake voters from Uttar Pradesh Bihar and neighbouring states”, to which BJP president JP Nadda accused Arvind Kejriwal of insulting people of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Nadda posted on X in Hindi: “Arvind Kejriwal, who has been looting Delhi for the last 10 years started fearing defeat and he got agitated and started making baseless statements against our brothers and sisters of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Kejriwal has insulted our people from UP and Bihar by calling them fake voters. The people of Delhi will definitely give him a reply by uprooting him from power.”

Reacting to Nadda’s post, AAP said in a statement: “The people of Delhi know that all corrupt leaders of the country have joined the BJP, while Arvind Kejriwal is a staunchly honest leader who has worked tirelessly for the people of Delhi, and has provided free electricity, 24X7 electricity, a world class health and education model among others—achievements the BJP has failed to replicate in any of its 20 states. While Arvind Kejriwal has now guaranteed ₹2,100 for women, among several other guarantees, the ‘Gaali-Galauj party’ has no agenda for Delhi and hasn’t even been able to even announce their CM candidate.”

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari called Kejriwal’s statement “a direct insult to the people of Purvanchal”, the region encompassing eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.