Delhi elections: As Akhilesh bats for AAP, Kejriwal thanks ‘best friend’

The SP chief made the remarks while participating in a roadshow in support of the AAP in the Kirari constituency

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said that the schemes that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has launched in Delhi has won plaudits not only within the country, but also across the world.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Kirari constituency in New Delhi on Thursday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Yadav made the remarks while participating in a roadshow in support of the AAP in the Kirari constituency — the first time that the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister canvassed for its INDIA bloc partner in the run up to the Delhi assembly polls.

“The work that they [the AAP] have done speaks for itself. Their development is evident—providing free electricity to the poor, addressing healthcare concerns through mohalla clinics, ensuring water availability, and making fundamental and historic changes in the education sector…. These initiatives are not just being recognised in the country but across the world. People want to study this model and implement it in their own regions,” Yadav said, noting that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders too have stated that they will not shut down the schemes introduced by the AAP.

To be sure, the SP chief did not criticise the Congress — the third camp in the triangular contest for Delhi — even once, as that party too is an INDIA bloc constituent.

“No vote should go to waste. Every single vote should be cast for the broom symbol and the Aam Aadmi Party to form the government,” Yadav added.

The Kirari constituency in northwest Delhi has a sizable population of Purvanchalis.

AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, who was accompanying Yadav, thanked the SP chief, calling him his “best friend”. He, however, did not hold back from criticising INDIA bloc ally the Congress, claiming that the party and the BJP are “working together”.

“Do not vote for Congress, because voting for Congress means helping BJP win. And if BJP comes to power, they will take away all your benefits. They will turn your life into a living hell,” Kejriwal said.

Urging the people to vote for the AAP, Kejriwal said his party has a vision and plan for Delhi’s development, but the BJP has none.

“AAP has a plan, a team, and leadership. On the other hand, BJP has no CM face, no planning, no agenda—nothing. When you ask them what they will do, their only response is: ‘Kejriwal, Kejriwal’. This will not help anyone… However, much more work remains, and we are committed to completing it,” Kejriwal said.

At a separate public meeting in Mundka, Kejriwal said that the BJP has formed the state government in 20 states, but none of them have 24x7 power supply, unlike Delhi.

“Today, inverters and generators have become obsolete in the city, and yet Delhi has the cheapest electricity in the country. BJP governs 20 states, but not even one of them has 24x7 electricity. If you vote for the BJP in the elections, as soon as you reach home, you’ll find the electricity gone,” he said.

The AAP chief also reiterated his claims — that if the BJP comes to power in Delhi, it will stop free electricity, free water, free bus rides for women, and shut down mohalla clinics, and that the discontinuation of these welfare schemes will lead to an additional expenditure of ₹25,000 monthly for each household.

However, the BJP categorically rejected the claims, with its South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri stating that the party will continue to run all welfare schemes in Delhi.