Delhi BJP protests against ‘electricity price hike’, targets AAP government

Led by Delhi BJP state chief Virendra Sachdeva, the party held a massive protest against the electricity price hike at Shahidi Park in ITO.

The Delhi BJP protested at the Secretariat on Friday against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s “price hike” of electricity bills, alleging that AAP-supported discoms were charging consumers hefty amounts under the guise of power purchase adjustment charge (PPAC).

BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva was also detained by Delhi Police during the protest on Friday. (X/@Virend_Sachdeva)

Led by state BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva, the party's Delhi unit held a protest at Shahidi Park in ITO. In a post on X, the Delhi BJP said, “Foot march under the leadership of State President Mr Virendra Sachdeva to the Delhi Secretariat in protest against the increase in electricity prices by the Kejriwal government.”

According to the news agency PTI, Virendra Sachdeva claimed, “The Delhi government and discoms have colluded to increase PPAC by 8.75 per cent, resulting in higher electricity bills for the consumers.”

Sachdeva was also detained by Delhi Police, as shown in a video he reposted on his X account, which captured him being taken into a police van.

Sharing pictures from the protest on X, Sachdeva wrote, “The goal of the Kejriwal government in Delhi is only to fulfill personal interests; the AAP government never thought beyond this.”

The Delhi Traffic Police had earlier in the day issued an advisory in light of the BJP's protest. "In view of a protest by a political party near Shaheedi Park, BSZ Marg Delhi, traffic will remain heavy at BSZ Marg, IP Marg, and BSZ Marg may be closed for traffic movement between 10.30 AM to 12.30 PM. Kindly avoid these roads and plan your journey accordingly," the Delhi Traffic Police said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, Delhi's power minister and AAP leader Atishi criticised the opposition party for misleading the public by spreading “rumours” that electricity prices were raised due to the PPAC.

Electricity bills went up by 6 to 8%

Electricity bills for domestic consumers in Delhi have risen by 6-8%, attributed to adjustments in the power purchase adjustment charge (PPAC) by discoms, news agency PTI reported citing officials on Wednesday. However, the households receiving subsidies will remain unaffected by these changes.

Discoms in the city have adjusted the PPAC by 6.75% to 8.75%, influenced by the recent surge in the costs of coal and other fuels used in power generation. Officials confirmed that the revision took effect in February this year.

Delhi's power minister Atishi claimed that according to the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) order, the current PPAC will remain unchanged with no further adjustments planned.

However, she defended the PPAC revision by stating that discoms have the legal provision under the Electricity Act 2003 to increase PPAC by up to 10% from the DERC's prescribed rate in cases of high power purchase costs.