Security heightened in Delhi ahead of protests by AAP, BJP
The Delhi Police has ramped up security measures and deployed extra personnel in view of the planned protests by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday. The AAP is protesting outside the BJP headquarters on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, near central Delhi's ITO area, over alleged cheating in the recently held Chandigarh mayoral elections. The BJP, on the other hand, will protest near the AAP office against the alleged corruption of Arvind Kejriwal's government.
Traffic diversions and heavy police presence
Approximately 1,000 Delhi Police and paramilitary forces have been stationed to maintain law and order. Although neither party has received permission for their demonstrations, AAP supporters are anticipated to arrive from various parts of Delhi and Punjab. Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann will also participate in the protest. These demonstrations coincide with the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) summons for Kejriwal to appear before them regarding a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in Delhi excise policy 2021-22.
Vehicular movement will be diverted from DDU Marg
AAP accuses BJP of cheating in Chandigarh mayoral election
Since Kejriwal is taking part in the protest, he is likely to miss the summons again. The BJP's protest will be led by its Delhi president, Virendra Sachdeva and Singh Bidhuri. On Tuesday, the party won a landslide victory in the Chandigarh mayoral elections, striking a blow to the Congress and AAP. Both are members of the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc. The AAP has accused the BJP of cheating in the election, prompting the planned protest.
BJP won the mayoral polls in Chandigarh
The election was seen as the first direct contest between INDIA and the BJP. The polls were initially set for January 18, but were moved to February 6 by the Chandigarh administration after the presiding officer became ill. On February 6, BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar was declared the winner with 16 votes after eight votes were declared invalid. AAP's Kuldeep Kumar received 12 votes.
