Ramesh Bidhuri is BJP's CM face for Delhi polls: Kejriwal
What's the story
Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is poised to announce Ramesh Bidhuri as its chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.
"We are getting information that Ramesh Bidhuri's name will be officially announced (as BJP CM face) in the coming one or two days," he said.
He also congratulated Bidhuri and challenged him to a public debate on their visions for Delhi.
Election concerns
Kejriwal questions Bidhuri's contributions, alleges voter manipulation
Kejriwal also questioned what Bidhuri had done for Delhi's development as an MP.
"Ramesh Bidhuri should tell what he did for the development of Delhi while being an MP. What is his vision for Delhi?" he asked.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader also raised concerns over alleged voter manipulation, pointing to the sudden addition of 13,000 new voters between December 15 and January 8.
Voter manipulation
BJP accused of bringing in voters from neighboring states
Kejriwal accused the BJP of bringing in voters from neighboring states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to change election results.
"How could 13,000 new voters appear suddenly in such a short span of time? Many of these voters have been brought in from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and other neighboring states to create fake voter registrations. This manipulation undermines the election process," he said.
Candidate selection
BJP's Central Election Committee meets to finalize candidates
The BJP's Central Election Committee met recently to finalize candidates for the Delhi elections, which are due on February 5.
Top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, were part of the meeting.
The party is likely to release its final list of candidates shortly.
Election allegations
Delhi CM Atishi criticizes BJP's choice, AAP MP alleges corruption
Delhi Chief Minister Atishi also alleged that Bidhuri is BJP's probable CM choice, calling him "notorious for his abusive language."
She slammed the BJP as the "Galli Galoch" party and accused them of rewarding Bidhuri for making derogatory remarks against her and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh accused the BJP of corruption, alleging they distributed ₹1,100 to buy votes.
Political tensions
BJP dismisses AAP's speculations, criticizes Kejriwal's aspirations
Meanwhile, BJP Lok Sabha MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat dismissed AAP's speculations about their CM candidate and criticized Kejriwal's aspirations given Supreme Court restrictions.
The Delhi Assembly elections will be held on February 5 with counting set to take place and results announced on February 8.
The political atmosphere remains tense with ongoing allegations and challenges between AAP and BJP leaders.