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While Yadav did not say anything against the Congress, Arvind Kejriwal did attack the grand old party, saying it is ‘romancing the BJP’ in Delhi
In his speech, Yadav urged voters to not waste votes by selecting the BJP. Pic/AAP
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday held a roadshow in Delhi’s Kirari along with Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal in support of Anil Jha, who is contesting from the assembly seat in the February 5 polls.
Yadav, former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and an ally of AAP from the INDIA bloc, urged voters to vote against the Bharatiya Janata Party. However, he did not utter a word against the Congress.
While AAP and Congress contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Delhi together, they have not joined hands for the assembly polls.
‘Jhaadu’ in hand
In his speech, Yadav urged voters to not waste votes by selecting the BJP.
“This time AAP has made up its mind to defeat the BJP. This ‘jhaadu’ of AAP will clean the dishonest BJP,” Yadav said as he took a broom in his hand. The broom is the election symbol of the Aam Aadmi Party. “Together you all can clean the dishonesty of the BJP…Your vote should not be wasted. To defeat the BJP, utilise each and every vote on the symbol of AAP because the kind of work they have done is the proof.” He also listed the works done by AAP in the fields of education, health, and electricity supply.
Yadav was in Delhi at a time when the Milkipur assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya was also getting ready for bypolls on February 5. The seat fell vacant after MLA Awadhesh Prasad was elected as an MP from Faizabad.
While Yadav did not say anything against the Congress, Kejriwal did attack the grand old party, saying it is “romancing the BJP” in Delhi.
“Congress and BJP are doing ‘I love you, I love you’ in this election. Be careful. Don’t vote for Congress. Voting for Congress means victory for BJP,” he said.
Apart from Yadav, SP’s Kairana MP Iqra Hasan was also in Delhi canvassing for AAP. She did a door-to-door campaign in Jangpura where AAP leader Manish Sisodia is contesting.
समाजवादी पार्टी की लोकप्रिय सांसद इकरा हसन जी के साथ आज जंगपुरा विधानसभा में डोर टू डोर कैंपेन किया।दिल्ली में अरविंद केजरीवाल जी का काम बोल रहा है।
जंगपुरा के लोग दिल्ली सरकार के काम से संतुष्ट हैं और 05 फरवरी को दिल्ली में लगातार चौथी बार AAP की सरकार बनाने को तैयार हैं।… pic.twitter.com/saw9h0dFfJ
— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) January 30, 2025
AAP vs Congress
As the election mood in Delhi gets heated, AAP and Congress have been targeting each other. In a video message on Thursday, Kejriwal said many voters in Delhi continue to vote for Congress out of habit despite knowing that the party has no real standing in the capital.
Kejriwal also said that the Congress’s real motive in Delhi is not to win but to help the BJP by weakening AAP.
“It is evident that the Congress is only contesting in Delhi to defeat AAP. They are not fighting to win even a single seat but are instead working alongside the BJP,” he said.
He also pointed out that Congress leaders refrain from criticising the BJP and instead focus all their attacks on AAP.
“If you vote for the Congress, you are indirectly helping the BJP. And if the BJP comes to power, all the benefits you receive from our government will be taken away. You will end up losing approximately Rs 25,000 every month. Can you afford that? No, right? So, as your brother, I am telling you—vote for the ‘jhaadu’ (broom). And if you ever have any personal work, just come to me. I will always be there to help you.”
After the 2015 assembly polls, the Congress, which was the ruling party in Delhi since 1998, has not been able to win even a single seat in Delhi.