AAP-BJP trade barbs, blame each other for bid to poach councillors

The BJP said on Saturday that it filed a complaint with the Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) after its councillor from the Anand Vihar ward, Monika Pant, claimed that she was allegedly offered a bribe by the AAP in exchange for supporting the latter in the mayoral elections

Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday accused each other of attempting to poach their newly elected councillors.

The civic centre in New Delhi. In the municipal elections, AAP has secured 134 councilors, BJP 104 and Congress 9, while three independent candidates have also won. The anti-defection laws do not apply to the municipal corporation and voting for mayoral election is held through secret ballot. (HT Archive)

The BJP said on Saturday that it filed a complaint with the Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) after its councillor from the Anand Vihar ward, Monika Pant, claimed that she was allegedly offered a bribe by the AAP in exchange for supporting the latter in the mayoral elections.

AAP Rajya Sabh MP countered that the BJP has set aside a budget of ₹100 crore for luring AAP councillors. He added that three AAP councillors have been approached and threatened by the BJP to switch sides.

The BJP dismissed the AAP’s claims as an attempt to divert attention from its attempt to bribe Pant.

In her complaint to ACB, Pant said she received a phone call from AAP leader Shikha Garg on Friday evening, after which the latter came to her house. “Her arrival at my house has been recorded on CCTV footage. She asked me to support the AAP in the mayoral elections. She offered me a political post in the MCD and special funds for my ward in lieu of cross voting, but I refused,” said Pant.

Pant, along with BJP MLA Vijender Gupta, met ACB chief Madhur Verma at 4pm on Saturday and handed over a complaint against Garg.

Verma said, “We have received a complaint from the BJP and are conducting a preliminary enquiry. The BJP has submitted CCTV footage and chat records. We are examining them.”

In the municipal elections, AAP has secured 134 councilors, BJP 104 and Congress 9, while three independent candidates have also won. The anti-defection laws do not apply to the municipal corporation and voting for mayoral election is held through secret ballot.

In a separate press conference, Sanjay Singh said that the BJP is attempting to lure and threaten AAP councillors under ‘Operation Lotus’. He said, “A person named Yogesh called AAP councillor from ward 88, Dr Runakshi Sharma, and said state BJP president Adesh Gupta wants to talk to her. Yogesh said there is a budget of ₹100 crore to trade councillors. This budget is only for 10 councillors, meaning ₹10 crore per councillor.”

Pintu Sharma, father of Runakshi, said, “We received a call the day before yesterday, where this offer was made. We told the person that we cannot be bought and then I disconnected the call.”

AAP claimed that Jyoti Rani, Vishwas Nagar councillor and Arun Navariya from Pushp Vihar were also approached by the BJP.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, “AAP’s local leaders are so badly exposed after the exposure of their dirty politics in the cases of BJP councillors Monica Pant and two Congress councillors that they could not come forward to face media and had to field MP Sanjay Singh to try to save face.”