The Bharatiya Janata Party has denied Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s allegation that the Hindutva outfit offered him a deal if the Aam Aadmi Party withdrew from the Gujarat elections, the Hindustan Times reported on Sunday.

BJP spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam said that the claim was a blatant lie.

“It is merely a statement to mislead people and malign the image of the BJP,” Islam said. “He [Kejriwal] has misled the people of Delhi and the nation. He used [social activist] Anna Hazare to come to power and later left him. He can mislead anyone to grab power.”

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Kejriwal claimed in an interview to NDTV on Saturday that after Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia rejected an offer to be the chief minister by leaving the Aam Aadmi Party, the BJP approached him.

“They have said if you leave Gujarat and don’t contest there, we will spare both [Delhi minister] Satyendar Jain and Sisodia and drop all charges against them,” he claimed.

To a question on who made the offer, the Aam Aadmi Party chief said: “How can I name one of my own... the offer has come through them... see they [BJP] never approach directly. They go from one to another, to another, to another, to a friend, and then the message reaches you.”

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The Central Bureau of Investigation has accused Sisodia of involvement in alleged irregularities in a liquor policy introduced by the Delhi government. Jain, meanwhile, has been arrested in a money laundering case.

Assembly polls in Gujarat will be held be held in two phases on December 1 and December 5. The results will be declared on December 8 along with the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections.

In Gujarat, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party will be pitted against the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, which is attempting to emerge as a key player in the state after making inroads in the local body polls last year.