New Delhi [India]: Former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor, Arvind Kejriwal, on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of plotting to remove Purvanchali voters from electoral rolls ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections scheduled for February.
Kejriwal alleged that BJP President JP Nadda had compared Purvanchalis residing in Delhi to Rohingyas during a parliamentary session. He assured the Purvanchali community that AAP would not allow such voter deletions to occur.
“I want to tell the people of Purvanchal that we won’t let anyone’s name be removed from the voter list. We respect you, and we will ensure you live a dignified life. If BJP members visit your homes, do not reveal your name, do not show your voter ID card, and avoid contact with them. They might use this information to delete your name,” said Kejriwal in a press conference. He added, “JP Nadda ji had compared Purvanchalis to Rohingyas in Parliament two days ago.”
Kejriwal further announced that AAP would reach out to every Purvanchali household to raise awareness of the alleged conspiracy. “AAP will share videos of Nadda’s comments and explain how the BJP is working against Purvanchali people living in Delhi,” he said.
AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh is set to lead a campaign to counter this alleged plot in the coming days. “This is a conspiracy against the Purvanchali community. We condemn it. People who have lived in Delhi for decades are being labeled as infiltrators and Rohingyas. Their names are being removed from the electoral rolls. This is BJP’s strategy because they know Purvanchalis largely support the Aam Aadmi Party,” Kejriwal asserted.
Previously, AAP had also accused BJP of deleting voter names to undermine Kejriwal’s chances in the Delhi Assembly elections. On Tuesday, AAP and BJP sparred over the issue in the Rajya Sabha, with Sanjay Singh accusing BJP of resorting to deceit to win elections. In response, JP Nadda accused AAP of supporting the settlement of Rohingya refugees in Delhi for vote-bank politics.
Nadda had stated, “It must be examined if AAP has remained in power in Delhi on the votes of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis.”
The Delhi Assembly elections are expected to be held in early 2025. In the previous 2020 elections, AAP won 62 of the 70 seats, while BJP secured eight.