Category: Politics

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced that the Delhi Assembly elections will be held on February 5, 2025. The results will be revealed three days later on February 8, 2025. In the last elections in 2020, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won a huge victory, taking 62 out of 70 seats, while the BJP won 8 seats.

Recently, AAP leaders, including Chief Minister Atishi, expressed worries about possible problems with how voters are being added and removed from the rolls. Atishi wrote to Delhi’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) about a big increase in voter applications in the New Delhi area. Between October 29, 2024, and January 2, 2025, there were 13,276 applications to add voters and 6,166 applications to remove them.

According to the draft electoral rolls published on October 29, 2024, there are 1,06,873 votes. Of these, the deletion requests, which make up about 5.77%, raised concerns because if deletions exceed 2%, the Election Officer must check each request closely. AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal also accused the opposition party of committing fraud regarding the voter process in New Delhi.

In response, BJP Delhi president Virendraa Sachdeva denied these accusations and claimed AAP leaders were pressuring election officers. He called this situation a “conspiracy to murder democracy” and demanded action against AAP leaders. This disagreement is increasing tensions between the two parties as they gear up for the upcoming elections, with both sides making serious allegations against each other.

Today, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) kicked off its campaign for the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections. They introduced a new campaign song called “Phir layenge Kejriwal” (We will bring back Kejriwal). The song, which lasts 3 minutes and 29 seconds, highlights what AAP achieved while they were in power. After the song was released, Arvind Kejriwal, the party leader, said that elections feel like festivals for them, and people love their songs. He joked that even BJP leaders might like it and could dance to it in their rooms.

Key AAP leaders like Chief Minister Atishi, Manish Sisodia, and others were at the launch. AAP MP Sanjay Singh expressed his excitement, saying the song will be a hit and will help make Kejriwal win again.

With the Election Commission likely to announce the dates for the elections soon, AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said the party is fully prepared. She mentioned that AAP is ready with their Chief Minister candidate and has already chosen 70 candidates, unlike the BJP and Congress, who are not as ready. She believes that voters will choose Kejriwal for a fourth time.

AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj also looked forward to the elections, saying they are confident about winning again. In the 2020 elections, AAP won 62 out of 70 seats, while the BJP got only 8.

Before the election announcement, Arvind Kejriwal shared concerns about possible voter fraud in the New Delhi Assembly area. He mentioned a letter from Atishi to the Chief Electoral Officer that pointed out issues with voter lists, indicating that fraud is happening with new voter additions and deletions.

The New Delhi District Election Officer is worried about pressure from leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), like Raghav Chadha and Sanjay Singh. These leaders have been coming to the officer’s office a lot, asking for personal details of people who objected to voter deletions. The officer says this information should not be shared according to the rules of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The officer wrote a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Delhi, expressing concerns about political interference. The letter says, “AAP leaders often visit my office to ask for details that are not meant to be shared.” The officer also mentioned that Chief Minister Atishi started meetings without telling them what would be discussed, which raised worries about political pressure.

This situation comes after AAP claimed that many voters were being removed from the electoral list in New Delhi. CM Atishi even wrote to the Delhi CEO, highlighting a big increase in voter addition and deletion requests. She mentioned that from October 29, 2024, to January 2, 2025, there were 13,276 applications to add voters and 6,166 requests to delete voters. This means that about 5.77% of the total voters could be removed, based on the latest voter list.

The assembly elections in Delhi are expected to happen in February 2025. In the last elections in 2020, AAP won 62 out of 70 seats, while BJP got 8 seats.

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bhardwaj recently criticized BJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri for making insulting comments about Delhi Chief Minister Atishi. Bhardwaj said, “When the election results come, we will see who is really in charge.” This was in response to Bidhuri, who, while speaking at a public event, made disrespectful remarks about Atishi’s surname and family background, implying she had changed her identity.

Atishi, formerly known as Marlena, has taken on the last name Singh. After hearing Bidhuri’s comments, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal also condemned him, stating on social media that BJP leaders have gone too far in insulting Chief Minister Atishi. Kejriwal expressed that the people of Delhi will not accept such behavior and will respond during the upcoming assembly elections, emphasizing that women will stand up for their leader.

Saurabh Bhardwaj noted that he was surprised the Congress party had not spoken out against Bidhuri’s comments about Priyanka Gandhi, where he suggested BJP could make roads in Kalkaji as smooth as her cheeks if they won power. Bhardwaj insisted that Bidhuri should apologize for his statements, as such language is unacceptable in a civilized society.

In response to the backlash, Ramesh Bidhuri expressed regret over his earlier remarks about Priyanka Gandhi, clarifying that his comments were related to past statements made by Lalu Prasad Yadav. He claimed that Congress had remained silent on similar remarks previously. Congress leaders have criticized Bidhuri’s comments, accusing the BJP of promoting an anti-women mentality.

The assembly elections in Delhi are expected to take place in February 2025. The Congress party, which had ruled for 15 years, has struggled in the last two elections. In the 2020 assembly polls, AAP won 62 out of 70 seats, while the BJP secured 8 seats.

Thane, Maharashtra: On Sunday, Eknath Shinde, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, celebrated the results of the 2024 assembly elections, calling them a big surprise for his critics. He said that people who spoke against the Election Commission and the Supreme Court were clearly rejected by voters.

Shinde, who leads the Shiv Sena party, welcomed many leaders from the rival Shiv Sena (UBT) party into his group. He noted that his party, along with its allies BJP and NCP, won a total of 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while Uddhav Thackeray’s party only secured 20 seats.

In 2022, Shinde’s actions led to a split in the Shiv Sena party and ended the government formed by the Maha Vikas Aghadi. He emphasized that this election showed that people do not support the views of his opponents. Shinde also reminded everyone of his time as chief minister, saying that Maharashtra has made great progress in development and governance under his leadership.

He pledged to return to farming if his coalition did not win more than 200 seats, but they surpassed that with 230 victories. The recent addition of former UBT leaders into the Shiv Sena shows the growing influence of his party. Shinde mentioned that the ideas of Shiv Sena’s founder, Bal Thackeray, have guided their path. He also paid tribute to his mentor, the beloved late Anand Dighe, a popular Shiv Sena leader from Thane. Shinde assured that they will focus on helping society first, prioritizing 80% social work and only 20% politics.

Ramesh Bidhuri, the BJP candidate for Kalkaji assembly, recently apologized for his controversial remarks about Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The comments had sparked outrage from Congress. In an interview, Bidhuri explained that he made his comments in response to remarks made by Lalu Yadav. He pointed out that Congress did not speak out when similar things were said during Yadav’s time as a minister.

“I regret if my words hurt anyone, and I take them back,” said Bidhuri. This apology came after a video was shared by AAP MP Sanjay Singh, where Bidhuri commented that if the BJP wins, they would make the roads in Kalkaji as beautiful as Priyanka Gandhi’s cheeks.

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate strongly condemned Bidhuri’s remark, calling it shameful and accused the BJP of having an anti-women attitude. She pointed out that Bidhuri had used offensive language against another MP before and never faced any consequences. “BJP’s behavior shows their true colors,” she said.

On Sunday, Union Heavy Industries and Steel Minister HD Kumaraswamy accused the Congress government in Karnataka of taking bribes as high as 60%. He claimed that even Congress party workers openly talk about this high percentage of corruption. Kumaraswamy shared that bribes are being collected not just for government projects but also for housing allocations meant for poor people.

He pointed out that while before it was typically lower-level officials, now even ministers in the Vidhana Soudha (the state legislative assembly) are reportedly accepting bribes. Kumaraswamy criticized Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, questioning whether he is truly following the principles of truth and honesty, which is symbolized by the phrase “Satyameva Jayate” (Truth Alone Triumphs). He asked if there is no end to their greed for stealing public money.

Kumaraswamy referred to the difficult situation faced by contractors in the state, mentioning that even those supporting the Congress believe the previous BJP government was better. He warned that the Congress party and Siddaramaiah will face serious consequences for this corruption in the future.

In response, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah dismissed Kumaraswamy’s allegations as baseless. He claimed that if the opposition makes accusations, they need to provide real proof to support their claims. The Congress party won the elections in May 2023 after accusing the former BJP government of demanding 40% kickbacks from contractors for awarding government projects.

A big argument happened after Ramesh Bidhuri, the BJP candidate for Kalkaji, made rude comments about Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi. The Congress party and AAP criticized BJP for what he said. A video posted by AAP MP Sanjay Singh showed Bidhuri saying that if BJP wins, they would make all the roads in Kalkaji as nice as Priyanka Gandhi’s cheeks. Congress leader Shrinate took to X (formerly Twitter) to call Bidhuri’s comments shameful and a sign of his disrespectful attitude towards women. She pointed out that the BJP party seems to have a history of being against women. She also reminded everyone that this is typical of a man who used bad language against another MP in Parliament and didn’t face any consequences. This shows the true nature of the BJP, she said.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the importance of keeping peace in villages, saying some people are causing trouble by focusing on caste politics. He urged everyone to work together to maintain social harmony in rural areas of India.

While launching the Grameen Bharat Mahotsav, Modi expressed his belief that villages will be crucial in achieving the goal of a developed India by 2047. He did not name anyone, but he mentioned that certain individuals are creating unrest and spreading negativity about caste. According to him, it’s important to strengthen the peaceful traditions of village life.

Modi highlighted the efforts his government has made since 2014 to improve the lives of people in rural areas. He shared a report from SBI, stating that poverty in rural India has dropped from 26% in 2012 to below 5% now. He noted that previous governments ignored rural citizens, leaving them without basic needs for many years. Now, his government is committed to empowering these villages and giving support to those who were previously overlooked.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also spoke at the event, mentioning that banks are working hard to promote 16 government schemes, such as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, PM Mudra, and PM SVANidhi. The Mahotsav aims to improve rural infrastructure, create self-reliant economies, and promote innovation. Its goals include ensuring financial stability and security for rural communities, with a special focus on the North-East India, while also supporting sustainable farming practices.