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Posters reviving Kejriwal’s name fuel AAP–BJP sparring as Delhi marks one year of new government
AAP alleges civic services have slipped; CM Rekha Gupta cites health, infrastructure steps and asks for time
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadersx` on Thursday, February 19, 2026, claimed that posters carrying the slogan “Yaad aa rahe Kejriwal” and “Ek saal, Delhi behaal, yaad aa rahe Kejriwal” have become a talking point in parts of the capital as the BJP-led Delhi government nears the completion of its first year in office under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, AAP’s Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj said the message on the posters reflected what he described as growing public dissatisfaction. He also linked the delay in the start of the briefing to what he said was heavy traffic congestion in central Delhi over the past three days, claiming that some taxi drivers were unwilling to enter the area due to the jams.
Bharadwaj and other AAP leaders argued that the slogans point to a comparison being drawn by residents between the present administration and AAP’s previous tenure. The party said the posters do not carry photographs of either Arvind Kejriwal or Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and presented the messaging as an expression of “public sentiment” rather than a campaign featuring individual leaders.
In its statement, AAP alleged that several routine services have deteriorated over the last year. It questioned whether neighbourhood clinics have been shut or are functioning below capacity, and claimed that queues at government hospitals have increased. It also alleged that government schools no longer show the same pace of improvement that AAP had projected during its time in office.
AAP further linked public anger to a set of daily-life issues, including traffic congestion, pollution episodes, complaints about water supply disruptions, and sanitation-related grievances in some localities. The party did not provide supporting official data in its statement, but said the combination of these factors is driving residents to compare their present experience with what it described as earlier improvements in education, primary healthcare and subsidised electricity and water.
The party reiterated that, prior to 2025, it had promoted what it called the “Delhi model” of governance, citing initiatives such as mohalla clinics and upgrades in government schools. AAP leaders said that if households face gaps in water supply, longer waiting times for healthcare, and more time lost in traffic, dissatisfaction is “inevitable”, regardless of political messaging.
The BJP-led government has not issued a specific public response to AAP’s claims about the posters or the party’s suggestion that the administration is uncomfortable with Kejriwal’s name being invoked. However, in recent public remarks around the one-year mark, Chief Minister Gupta has defended the government’s record and said the administration has prioritised policy work and implementation planning in its first year.
Gupta has highlighted steps such as the rollout and expansion of central health-benefit schemes in Delhi, measures to improve desilting and drainage management ahead of monsoon months, and efforts aimed at strengthening transport and infrastructure planning. The government has also pointed to new initiatives focused on livelihoods and skills, including a recently announced programme for training artisans and linking them with digital marketplaces, presented as part of a broader push on employment and local economic opportunities.
The political exchange underscores how competing claims over governance outcomes are likely to remain central to Delhi’s debate in the coming months, with AAP seeking to foreground service-delivery complaints and the BJP-led government seeking to emphasise new policy direction and administrative coordination.
