Kejriwal seeks debate with BJP’s Delhi CM face, predicts Bidhuri as pick

Voting for the Delhi assembly elections is scheduled for February 5, with results to be declared on February 8

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday sought a debate with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s yet unannounced pick for chief minister, should they win the Delhi assembly election, claiming that the BJP may field former minister Ramesh Bidhuri as its CM candidate. Kejriwal said the decision might have been made during the BJP Central Election Committee meeting, and an official announcement could be made within the next two days, citing an unnamed source. Kejriwal’s remarks came a day after Delhi CM Atishi speculated that Bidhuri may be BJP’s CM face.

Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh addresses a press conference in New Delhi on January 11. (HT Photo)

“Yesterday, their (BJP) Central Election Committee held a meeting. According to sources, it has been learnt that the BJP may have decided in that meeting to nominate Ramesh Bidhuri as their chief ministerial candidate. It is being said, as per sources, that an official announcement about Ramesh Bidhuri’s name will be made within a day or two,” Kejriwal said during a press conference at AAP headquarters.

Kejriwal then proposed a public debate between him and the BJP’s CM candidate to enable Delhi voters to assess their track records and plans. “Once his candidacy is officially announced, I propose that to strengthen democracy, there should be a public debate between the Aam Aadmi Party’s candidate and the BJP’s candidate, Ramesh Bidhuri, in front of the people of Delhi, the nation, and the media,” Kejriwal said. He questioned Bidhuri’s accomplishments during his tenure as South Delhi MP from 2014 to 2024, urging voters to evaluate candidates based on their vision and work.

On Thursday, the party launched its campaign, “Kejriwal vs. Whom in the BJP,” challenging the BJP to name its chief ministerial candidate. Billboards across the city feature Kejriwal’s image alongside the question, “Who will be Delhi’s CM?”

Voting for the Delhi assembly elections is scheduled for February 5, with results to be declared on February 8. The BJP, which has announced candidates for 29 of the 70 seats, has yet to name its CM candidate. In the 2020 elections, the BJP contested without a CM face and won only 8 seats, while in 2015, its decision to project Kiran Bedi as CM candidate also ended in defeat.

Separately, Union home minister Amit Shah, during a public meeting with the chiefs of Delhi’s jhuggis, dismissed Kejriwal’s remarks. “Today Kejriwal announced the BJP CM candidate. Can he do that? Kejriwal ji, everyone knows your tricks,” Shah said, accusing the AAP chief of political gamesmanship.

In response, BJP Delhi chief Virendra Sachdeva said that Kejriwal should realise that BJP’s CM face will be decided by party MLAs and national leadership. “Kejriwal knows that he is losing Delhi election to BJP and so trying to create confusion. Kejriwal has sought to cite unknown sources to cite that Shri Bidhuri might be our CM face but I challenge Kejriwal who is promoting himself as CM candidate to take legal opinion from a advocate and understand that he can’t ever be sworn in as CM in view of Supreme Court bindings. All BJP candidates for Delhi Assembly are chief ministerial candidates. Our is a thoroughly democratic party where elected MLAs elect their party leader who lays claim to be CM of Delhi,” said Sachdeva in a statement.