As polling is underway in the National Capital, desperation is running deep within the leadership of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). For several days and weeks, its senior leadership including Arvind Kejriwal, second-in-command Manish Sisodia, incumbent CM Atishi Marlena have been resorting to desperate measures, even going on to the extent of making alarmist conspiracy theories and unsubstantiated allegations of “mass murders”, thus exposing them as desperate and rattled.
In the final hours of campaigning for the assembly elections, Manish Sisodia was heard making sympathetic appeal to the voters asking them to caste their franchise in his favour not as an ordinary candidate who has worked for them and the development of the Jangpura constitutency, but in the name of Deputy Chief Minister’s post, an indirect way of mounting pressure on the voters and showing imminent fear of vendetta for the constituency in case, he lost the election but his party went on to form the government. For him, the pressing concern was not the welfare of their constituents, or the development of the Jangpura constituency rather it was securing his supposed position as the Deputy Chief Minister, especially in the context that last time, he narrowly scraped through and managed to keep electoral defeat away from the Patpatganj seat, a seat which he then deserted.
This last day statement by Manish Sisodia shows anything can happen in Jangpura. pic.twitter.com/kIFEZV9NIZ
— News Arena India (@NewsArenaIndia) February 3, 2025
As per poll pundits, not just Manish Sisodia, several senior leaders of the ruling party are finding themselves in spot of bother with loss a very realistic possibilty even for Arvind Kejriwal on New Delhi constituency and Atishi Marlena on Kalka ji seat as anti-incumbency against the decade of AAP regime is at its highest.
Against this backdrop, several of its leaders and their supporters have reportedly been taking to illicit measures and committing multiple poll code violations. Consequently, several of AAP leaders, their staff members, supporters are finding themselves embroiled in multiple legal cases involving.
Delhi Police have registered FIRs against several AAP leaders, including MLA Dinesh Mohaniya, former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and Delhi CM Atishi’s office staff. The allegations range from misconduct and spreading false information to election code violations.
AAP MLA Dinesh Mohaniya booked for misbehaving with a woman
The Delhi Police have booked AAP MLA Dinesh Mohaniya for misbehaving with a woman and making inappropriate gestures. A case under sections 323, 341, and 509 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita (BNS) has been registered at the Sangam Vihar Police Station.
According to Delhi Police sources, a woman filed a complaint stating that Mohaniya gave her a flying kiss. The complaint was registered while he was contesting for re-election from the Sangam Vihar constituency against BJP’s Chandan Kumar Choudhary and Congress’ Harsh Choudhary.
A case against Arvind Kejriwal over his “poisoning Yamuna River” remark
A case has been filed against former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal at Shahabad police station.
The complaint, filed by advocate Jagmohan Manchanda, accuses Kejriwal of making provocative statements against the Haryana BJP government.
Kejriwal had claimed that the Haryana government was poisoning the Yamuna River.
Manchanda stressed that these statements were made to incite unrest and influence voters. The FIR includes charges of spreading false information and promoting enmity. Kurukshetra police confirmed that the case was registered on court directions and that an investigation is ongoing.
Cash Seized from CM Atishi’s Office Staff
According to media reports, Delhi Police recovered Rs 5 lakh from an employee working at Delhi CM Atishi’s office. The accused, identified as Gaurav, claimed that the cash was personal and related to a house sale.
However, police are investigating the source and intended use of the money.
Delhi Police sources revealed that Gaurav was in contact with Atishi’s personal assistant, Pankaj. Their phone conversations allegedly contained discussions about distributing money in different wards using code words. Both Gaurav and the driver of the car have been taken into custody.
AAP has strongly denied the allegations, calling them a conspiracy by the BJP to defame the party before the elections. Ironically, it also labelled accusations against BJP members of openly distributing cash while the police ignored it.
Amanatullah Khan Violates Poll Code
Delhi Police registered an FIR against AAP’s Amanatullah Khan for violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by holding a late-night campaign rally in Zakir Nagar.
Khan was seen with over 100 supporters on Tuesday, despite the ‘silence period’ prohibiting any campaign activity 48 hours before voting.
A case under Section 223 of BNS (disobeying public servant orders) and Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act (RPA) has been filed.
This incident follows a similar case against Delhi CM Atishi for a campaign event during the silence period. AAP leaders have accused the Election Commission of favouring the BJP.
However, the poll body has dismissed these claims, stating that AAP is trying to malign its image.
Delhi Election
The AAP, which currently holds over 60 seats in the 70-seat assembly, is seeking re-election. However, it is being seen as its toughest political battle since its inception as the anti-incumbency is at an all-time high.
A total of 699 candidates are contesting for the 70 assembly seats in the national capital.
Delhi has 1,56,14,000 registered voters, including 83,76,173 men, 72,36,560 women, and 1,267 third-gender voters. Among the electorate are 2,39,905 first-time voters aged 18-19, 1,09,368 elderly voters aged 85 and above, and 79,885 persons with disabilities.
According to the Election Commission data, till 1:00 PM, a total of 33% of voting has been recorded, which is significantly low. Leaders and media have asked people to come out and use their right to vote.
