Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is preparing to announce Parvesh Verma as its chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.
“According to sources, BJP will declare Parvesh Verma as its CM face. Do the people of Delhi want to see such a person as their Chief Minister?” Kejriwal posted on X (formerly Twitter).
In another post, Kejriwal accused a BJP leader of bribing voters.
“I just returned from several areas in my New Delhi Vidhan Sabha constituency. Residents told me these people are openly buying votes, offering Rs 1,100 per vote. People say they’ll take the money but won’t vote for them,” the AAP chief claimed.
He added, “If you had worked for the people in the last ten years instead of abusing me, you wouldn’t need to buy votes.”
Meanwhile, AAP leader Atishi accused BJP of distributing money in the New Delhi constituency, where Kejriwal is contesting. She specifically alleged that BJP leader and former West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma was caught distributing cash at his official residence.
“The BJP is handing out cash after verifying voter cards in the New Delhi constituency. Parvesh Verma was caught red-handed distributing Rs 1,100 in envelopes to women from various slums at his official MP residence,” Atishi said during a press briefing.
She claimed that crores of rupees were stashed at Verma’s residence and called on the Election Commission to direct the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Delhi Police to conduct raids and arrest him.
“I urge the ED and CBI to take immediate action. Cash worth crores is still at Parvesh Verma’s residence. The BJP is attempting to buy its way through a losing election. We will file formal complaints with the police and Election Commission,” she stated. She also alleged that pamphlets used to distribute money bore images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President JP Nadda.
The controversy arose amidst public notices issued by the Department of Women and Child Development, which denied the existence of the Mahila Samman Yojana, a scheme being linked to AAP. The department clarified that no such scheme has been officially notified, warning that any registrations under its name are fraudulent.
The notice stated, “It is clarified that no such scheme has been notified by the Delhi Government.” It added that individuals had been visiting government offices seeking information about the purported scheme.
The Delhi Assembly elections are anticipated in early 2025. In the 2020 polls, AAP secured a landslide victory with 62 out of 70 seats, while BJP managed to win eight.
