Why Fear So Much, Field Your Own Candidate: AAP Challenges BJP For Delhi Mayor Election

AAP asked the BJP why is it fighting the election through a backdoor candidate and supporting an independent councilor for the top post in the Delhi civic body.

AAP MP Raghav Chaddha

Source : PTI

The Aam Aadmi Party has claimed the Bharatiya Janta Party was planning to support an independent candidate for Delhi mayor elections. The party challenged BJP to contest the election with its own candidate. 

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha said that after losing the MCD polls, the BJP had said it would not field any candidate for the mayor's post. 

"After seeing the love and support that the people of Delhi had given to their son Arvind Kejriwal, the BJP had made this announcement," he added. 

Chaddha said, "Several BJP leaders, some of them very senior in the party, came out in front of the media and made this announcement to not fight the election for the post of the mayor." 

"Now we are hearing that the BJP has decided to support an independent candidate for the top post in MCD. All the BJP candidates are going to support this independent candidate and basically try and challenge the AAP candidate. I welcome the BJP's decision, but at the same time, I also want to give them a little bit of advice," he said. 

The AAP leader then dared the BJP to come and contest the election on their own instead of "a backdoor candidate". 

"Why do they fear AAP so much? If they really want to fight the election of the mayor, they should come forward and do it. Why try and fight the election through a backdoor candidate? Why use an independent candidate and try to support that candidate like thieves and fight against the AAP? BJP calls itself the biggest party in the world, then why use such childish tactics to fight an election? It does not auger well for them," he said. 

Taking a jibe at the saffron party, he said the condition of BJP leaders is so bad that they are now looking for "jobs on Naukri.com." In the recently concluded MCD elections, the people of Delhi have overwhelmingly come out and supported AAP and officially made the BJP exit from politics in Delhi. The BJP in Delhi does not run the government in the Vidhan Sabha and now nor does it run the MCD," he said. 

Reacting to the comments, BJP's Delhi unit leaders said they were surprised to see a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab holding a press conference on Delhi municipal corporation’s mayor elections.   

"It seems that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal no longer has faith in his party's Delhi leadership, so the Punjab MP had to step down on the issue of Municipal Corporation of Delhi," said Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor, reported PTI. 

The BJP spokesperson said when Chadha was speaking on the issue of the mayor's election, "nervousness was clearly visible in his voice and on his face."   

"It seems that despite having the majority, he is in doubt of defeat in case of elections in MCD. It would be better if MP Raghav Chadha concentrates on keeping the councilors of his party united instead of advising BJP on the mayor's elections," he added. 

The AAP on Friday finalised six candidates for various MCD posts, including the mayor and deputy mayor. Shelly Oberoi has emerged as the choice for the top post in the civic body from AAP. 

On December 7, the AAP won the MCD polls after it claimed 134 wards in the civic body, ending the 15-year rule of the BJP. The saffron party got 104 wards while Congress was reduced to just 9. 

 

(With PTI Inputs)