‘Congress, BJP joined hands to defeat AAP in civic body polls’

Earlier this week, elections were held in the North MCD to choose chairperson, vice-chairperson and standing committee member for two zones.

Aam Aadmi Party’s Delhi convener Gopal Rai on Thursday said the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party had joined hands to defeat the Aam Aadmi Party in the recent internal elections in the north Delhi municipal corporation.

(L-R) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Manish Sisodia, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with Gopal Rai seen during a press conference at AAP Office, ITO, in New Delhi. (Amal KS/HT FILE PHOTO)

Both the Congress and the BJP dismissed the allegation as “baseless”.

Earlier this week, elections were held in the North MCD to choose chairperson, vice-chairperson and standing committee member for two zones. While councillors belonging to the Congress were elected in the first two positions, a Bharatiya Janata Party councillor was elected in the third.

“The numbers with which the candidates won each post clearly suggest that the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party had joined hands to defeat the Aam Aadmi Party ,” said Rai.

Reacting to the allegations, Delhi Congress spokesperson Jitender Kochar said, “This is a baseless allegation. The Aam Aadmi Party should introspect why their own councillors are voting against them.”

BJP Delhi unit’s spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, “Such arrangements within the municipal bodies are extremely local in nature and they are never discussed among party members. This is a baseless claim.”