Satish Upadhyay, the BJP candidate from Malviya Nagar, criticized the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), accusing the Delhi government of corruption and a lack of governance.
Speaking to media after being announced as the BJP candidate for the Malviya Nagar assembly seat in the upcoming Delhi elections, Upadhyay expressed concerns about various issues plaguing the national capital.
“Delhi is probably the first capital or state that has everything except governance. There is corruption, there is alcohol, there is a ‘sheesh mahal,’ but there is no governance. Look at the roads of Delhi—can we call them the roads of the capital? The youth want employment,” he said.
Upadhyay also took aim at former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, referencing his official residence and an alleged incident involving AAP MP Swati Maliwal in 2024.
“Women want respect. In a state where women are not respected in the house of the Chief Minister, how can you expect respect for women there?” he added.
The BJP recently released its first list of 29 candidates for the Delhi Assembly elections, anticipated to take place in February 2025. Prominent names include National General Secretary Dushyant Gautam from Karol Bagh, Manjinder Singh Sirsa from Rajouri Garden, Kailash Gehlot from Bijwasan, and former Congress leader Arvinder Singh Lovely from Gandhi Nagar.
In the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, AAP secured a landslide victory, winning 62 out of 70 seats, while the BJP managed to win eight seats. The Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 consecutive years, failed to win a single seat in the past two assembly polls.
The Election Commission is yet to announce the exact dates for the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections.