Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday claimed that Muslim votes in the national capital “shifted to the Congress” at the last minute during the Lok Sabha elections, The Indian Express reported.
“Until 48 hours before polling [in Delhi], it seemed like all seven seats will come to AAP,” Kejriwal said. “But at the last moment, the complete Muslim vote got shifted to Congress. We are trying to figure out what happened.” The seven constituencies in Delhi voted on May 12 in the sixth round of elections.
Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit, responding to Kejriwal’s claim, said every person has the right to vote for the party they prefer and claimed people did not like his governance model, ANI reported.
“Don’t know what he is trying to say,” Dikshit told ANI. “Everyone has a right to vote [for] whichever party he/she wants to vote,” the former Delhi chief minister said. “People of Delhi did not understand nor liked his governance model.”
Dikshit and Kejriwal have been attacking each other repeatedly after talks for an alliance in Delhi failed between his Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress. Kejriwal had earlier claimed that Aam Aadmi Party will win all seven seats in Delhi even without an alliance with the Congress.
The AAP chief expressed optimism about his party’s chances in the Assembly election in Delhi next year. “Work speaks in Delhi,” he had said. “People will vote for us on the basis of work we have done,” he said.
On a coalition government “minus” Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party National President Amit Shah, Kejriwal said he would support that government “on the pre-condition of statehood for Delhi”.
Delhi witnessed a three-cornered battle between the BJP, AAP and the Congress, with Union Minister Harshvardhan, Dikshit, Olympian boxer Vijender Singh and cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir, AAP’s Atishi Marlena among the key candidates. The results of the elections will be declared on May 23.
Arvind Kejriwal claims BJP will get his security officer to kill him
Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bhardwaj on Saturday defended Delhi Chief Minister and party chief Arvind Kejriwal’s claim that BJP workers will kill him, ANI reported. “After becoming chief minister he has been attacked at least six times in the presence of police,” Bhardwaj said. “Even after such incidents no action was taken. We do not trust the Delhi Police.”
During an interview with Punjab Kesari on Friday, Kejriwal said that his security officer reports to the BJP. “I am very sure that BJP workers will use my security officer to kill me and pin the blame on my party’s workers,” Kejriwal was heard saying.
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