Delhi Assembly Election 2025 highlights: PM Modi slams AAP for ‘stalling Delhi’s growth’

Taking a swipe at AAP, the Prime Minister alleges that the party has turned Delhi into a “political ATM” to fund its ambitions in other states. “AAP-da (AAP disaster) has looted Delhi’s money and is using it to expand its politics elsewhere. They are taking money out of Delhiites’ pockets,” he adds, urging voters to free the city from its rule.

Mr. Modi accuses AAP of engaging in constant fights instead of focusing on governance.

-PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public meeting in Delhi’s Dwarka area, says, “I would ask all the women in Delhi to link their phone number with their bank account so that they could receive the message that money has been credited to their account after the formation of BJP government here...In the first cabinet of the BJP government, the decision to credit ₹2,500 in the bank accounts of the women here will be clear...”

-ANI

1. The Congress promises ₹2,500 for women
2. A one-year apprenticeship in the private- or public sector along with a stipend of ₹8,500 for unemployed youth
3. A Delhi caste survey and a Ministry for the welfare of Purvanchalis
4. Free health care up to ₹25 lakh for all residents, including free medicines and diagnostics
5. Cooking gas at ₹500 per cylinder, a free ration kit and 300 units of free electricity
6. The Congress also promised the launch of 100 Indira canteens across the city that would offer meals at ₹5
7. National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 would be replaced by a ‘Delhi Education Policy’
8. School enrolment in government schools would be increased, new government schools would be set up and 700 libraries would be opened
9. Its manifesto promised 4% reservation for People with Disabilities
10. A section in the manifesto for the LGBTQ+ community included promises such as scholarships for transgender persons and accessible washrooms

Indian Youth Congress workers held a protest against former Delhi CM and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal over cleaning of Yamuna river. 

The protest was held near Mr. Kejriwal’s house where the police erected the barricades. It was led by IYC national president Uday Bhanu Chib. “We all have come outside Kejriwal’s residence to remind him that it is his turn to take a dip in Yamuna. The reality is that after making Yamuna’s condition miserable, Mr. Kejriwal himself has now disappeared,” Mr. Chib alleged. 

“Ever since AAP party has come to power in Delhi, pollution and dirt have become the “identity” of Delhi,” he said. “Kejriwal and the BJP are busy doing politics of blaming each other and in meantime the life of the common people of Delhi has become miserable,” he further alleged. 

“Kejriwal had made big promises related to cleaning Yamuna, but all turned out to be lies. Today, Yamuna river, the lifeline of Delhi, is struggling with pollution, there is a pile of garbage and Kejriwal is responsible for all this. The former CM used to say five years ago that if he will not clean Yamuna, then do not vote for him,” Mr. Chib alleged. - PTI

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in a public meeting in Delhi’s Moti Nagar area organised in support of BJP candidate Harish Khurana from the Moti Nagar Assembly constituency. 

Mr. Dhami attacked the ruling AAP, alleging that the party has failed to fulfill its promises. “This [AAP] government has neither provided clean water to people under the Jal Jeevan Mission nor provided health facilities under the Ayushman Bharat scheme... What the BJP says, it does the same. Contrary to this, Arvind Kejriwal and his ‘Aapda’ party does the opposite of what they say,” the Uttarakhand CM said. - ANI

BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj stepped up her attacks on the Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal over his claims on Yamuna water and stated that he is resorting to a “shameful lie” because he is sensing his defeat in the upcoming Assembly polls in Delhi. 

Ms. Swaraj urged the AAP chief not to “sacrifice” the people of Delhi for his political interests. Speaking to reporters, she said, “... It seems that Arvind Kejriwal is seeing defeat in the upcoming elections and that is why he is resorting to such a shameful lie... What Arvind Kejriwal is saying is untrue. The Haryana Government has not released any kind of poisonous substance into the Yamuna river... I would request Arvind Kejriwal not to sacrifice the people of Delhi for his political interests...” - ANI

If you’re a first-time voter, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to cast your vote: 

To exercise your franchise, the primary requirement is that your name must be included in the electoral roll (also known as the voter’s list). All citizens of India who are 18 years of age as of January 1 of the year in which the electoral roll is prepared are eligible to register as voters in the constituency where they typically reside. 

The performance of party-hoppers will count this time in government formation in Delhi as the three major players in the Assembly polls — the AAP, the BJP and the Congress — have fielded around 20 foe-turned-friends in the electoral battle. 

However, it won’t be a smooth sailing for these candidates who are now trying to prove themselves in a new setup that has thrown at them multiple challenges including the unease among workers and leaders of their adopted parties. 

With elections close by, several prominent leaders of the AAP, the Congress and the BJP switched sides, seeking to redirect — and in some cases resurrect — their political careers. 

As the Delhi Assembly elections 2025 draw closer, the political landscape of the national capital is heating up with major parties gearing up for a fierce contest. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Indian National Congress (INC) are fielding prominent candidates to stake their claim in this high-stakes battle. 

BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh has launched a scathing attack on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of repeatedly lying and insulting the country’s institutions. “Arvind Kejriwal repeatedly lies and when he is proven to be lying, he resorts to false accusations against the country’s prestigious institutions, insulting the country’s institutions,” Mr. Chugh said. 

He further criticised Mr. Kejriwal’s handling of critical issues in Delhi, including air pollution and water contamination, saying, “Kejriwal sir, who has polluted Delhi’s air? You have ruined the entire atmosphere of Delhi. You have polluted the Yamuna.” He also predicted that the people of Delhi would reject Mr. Kejriwal in the upcoming elections, adding, “The people will be giving you a crushing defeat.” 

Mr. Chugh painted a grim picture for the AAP leader, suggesting that after February 8, 2025, Mr. Kejriwal would “begin to cry again” following the defeat and will cry over “EVMs.” Mr.Chugh also said, “The saying ‘the dancer blames the uneven stage’ won’t work. The Aam Aadmi Party’s leader Arvind Kejriwal has failed in answering the people’s questions. He is a poor leader.” - ANI

Every household in Delhi saves an average of ₹25,000 a month owing to the AAP government’s welfare schemes and if the party returns to power, its new initiatives will add another ₹10,000 to people’s savings, party supremo Arvind Kejriwal said. 

The former Chief Minister was speaking at the launch of the AAP’s ‘Bachat Patra’ campaign in New Delhi, aimed at highlighting the financial benefits of the schemes brought by his party’s government. 

“Our volunteers will reach out to people and get them to fill the ‘Bachat Patra’ in which they will note how much they are saving through our free welfare initiatives,” Mr. Kejriwal said. He said schemes such as free bus travel for students, Mahila Samman Yojana and Sanjeevani Yojana, all proposed in the AAP’s manifesto, are among such initiatives. - PTI

Reacting to the search allegation at Kapurthala House, the official residence of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in Delhi, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said that cash and liquor bottles have been caught during the search.”AAP has been exposed. It wants to bribe people by distributing liquor and money. But people have rejected them. Things were kept in godown but that too must have been revealed to the police by some ‘Delhi bhakt’ informant,” BJP MP Manoj Tiwari told ANI. 

“Cash and liquor bottles have been caught. This is the character of AAP. The burden of loss will be on Arvind Kejriwal. So, Bhagwant Mann is making all attempts to let this burden go. But it can’t be shrugged off. Delhi has seen that AAP either distributes money and liquor or makes infiltrators as voters to win elections so far,” Mr. Tiwari said. 

Mr.Tiwari further said that Delhi’s residents have decided to vote out the ruling AAP. “The Election Commission is alert and I am very confident that this character of corruption is being noticed by the public. Very soon, the people of Punjab will also pronounce their decision on the same. Come 5th February, the people of Delhi have decided that AAP will go out. BJP will come to power and pull Delhi out of these difficult situations and make it a good national capital before the world,” he added.- ANI

AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal in a letter to the Election Commission raised serious allegations against Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday. He sent a written response to the Election Commission, demanding that a criminal case be filed against Nayab Singh Saini regarding the ‘poisonous’ Yamuna issue. Kejriwal claimed that the levels of ammonia contamination in the raw water being supplied to Delhi from Haryana were ‘unprecedented and dangerously’ high. 

In the letter, he claimed that the ammonia levels started increasing very sharply from 15 Jan onwards (around 3.2 ppm on 15 Jan) and reached 7 ppm a few days later.The AAP convenor stated that CM Atishi contacted the Haryana CM to resolve the crises; however, despite several attempts, the issues remained unresolved.” 

“There was a deliberate conspiracy on the part of Haryana CM, who happens to be from BJP, to influence Delhi elections by sending highly polluted waters to Delhi. He knew very well that this would create artificial water scarcity in Delhi, whose blame would lie on the AAP government in Delhi. This would have rendered almost half of Delhi without water and would have created huge public misery for almost 10 million people of Delhi who would have gone without water,” he said in the letter. - ANI

The Election Commission of India said it gave a patient hearing to AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, at a very short notice today and received his reply, on Friday (January 31, 2025).

The Full Commission, without getting swayed by personal insinuations and offensive strategy being in play, decided to examine the reply in detail and take decision(s) on merit, it said.

AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal, who visited the Election Commission on Friday (January 31, 2025) and claimed that if AAP had not protested, one crore Delhi residents would have been deprived of water. He alleged bias, stating that instead of acting against Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini, ECI is targeting him. 

“If we had not protested and raised a hue and cry, one crore people of Delhi would have stopped getting water... ECI has sent me a notice asking why no action is taken. I saved Delhi from water crisis and I am being threatened with punishment,” Mr. Kejriwal said.- ANI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi intensified his attack on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday, saying the former Delhi Chief Minister “lies just like [Prime Minister] Narendra Modi but is probably more cunning and sophisticated than the PM”.

Addressing a rally in north-west Delhi’s Badli constituency, the Congress leader said Mr. Kejriwal and his associate Manish Sisodia had joined politics vowing to fight corruption but had “indulged in corruption themselves and forgot all their promises”. Read more

Katewara, a tiny village in Bawana near the Delhi-Haryana border, was at the centre of media attention in December 2022 when its residents announced a poll boycott days before the municipal elections. The village dwellers were fed up with the authorities’ apathy towards basic civic amenities. 

“It was a way of attracting the attention of the authorities and showing our anger. Through the poll boycott, we wanted those in power to care,” says Satish Khatri. Read more

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal reached the Election Commission’s office here on Friday (January 31, 2025) to furnish his reply to the poll body over its notice to him on his “poison mixed” in Yamuna water remark. 

Mr. Kejriwal was accompanied by Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and her Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann. 

Before visiting the Election Commission’s office, Mr. Kejriwal told reporters that the language of second notice hints that the poll body has already decided their action.He alleged that the poll body is “shooting the messenger” by targeting the AAP for raising its voice.Mr. Kejriwal said that it was a political conspiracy to force half of Delhi to thirst because of “poisonous” water having high ammonia to defame the AAP during the Delhi Assembly elections.

“I want to congratulate the people of Delhi that our struggle has been successful and the ammonia level in Yamuna which was 7 ppm since January 26-27 has now come down to 2.1 ppm now,” the AAP chief said. - PTI

Exuding confidence ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Vishwas Nagar Om Prakash Sharma said that the BJP will form a government in the national capital. He also hailed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh saying that he has motivated all the party workers during his public meeting. 

“All the BJP workers are working towards winning the polls...Rajnath Singh has motivated all the members and workers today during a public meeting...BJP will form a government in Delhi...” said Om Prakash Sharma. - ANI

Migrants from the Purvanchal region can sway the outcome in several constituencies in the forthcoming Delhi Assembly election, feel politicians. Though political parties are competing to woo them with promises of freebies and appeals to the ‘Purvanchali sentiment’, their economic concerns — the reason they came to India’s capital — remain unaddressed. Read more from Ishita Mishra

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal will visit the Election Commission office here on Friday (January 31, 2025) to furnish his reply to the poll body over its notice to him on his “poison mixed” in Yamuna water remark.

Mr. Kejriwal, who will be accompanied by Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann, will visit the EC office at 11 am, the party said.

Mr. Kejriwal on Thursday (January 30, 2025) accused the EC and its chief election commissioner of indulging in politics over his statement and claimed that Yamuna water supplied from Haryana to Delhi has high levels of ammonia content.

The EC served him two notices seeking reply over his allegation that the BJP government mixed “poison” in Yamuna water for Delhi attempting a “genocide” in the city. - PTI

“ Humein muft ke paise nahi chahiye, apne haq ke paise chahiye (we don’t want charity, we want money that we deserve),” says Sangeeta Mishra, 45, an anganwadi worker in north-east Delhi’s Sonia Vihar, at the end of her eight-hour shift.

Ms. Mishra refers to the monthly financial aid promised by the three major political parties — Aam Aadmi Party (₹2,100), Congress (₹2,500), and Bharatiya Janata Party (₹2,500) ahead of the Assembly election — and terms them “mere lip service”. Read more

Senior BJP leaders on Thursday (January 30, 2025) hit out at the Aam Aadmi Party over issues of pollution in the Yamuna River and corruption and scams in the capital, urging the people of Delhi to vote out the AAP in the Assembly polls. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleged that AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal allowed the Yamuna river to get polluted and forced the people of Delhi to drink its wate​r. Read more​

Ahead of the Assembly poll on February 5, Gursharan Kaur, wife of late former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, cast her vote through the mobile postal ballot facility, an election official said.

Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, 91, who served in the Union Cabinet several times under former Atal Bihari Vajpayee, also cast his vote from his home through the facility, along with his wife Tarla Joshi. They were registered as Absentee Voters in the Senior Citizen category.

Not satisfied with his previous response, the Election Commission of India (ECI) gave Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal further time till Friday (January 31, 2025) to provide factual evidence related to his claims of poisoning of Yamuna river. It further asked him not to mix the issues of increased Ammonia content and poisoning in the river.

The poll body asked the former Delhi Chief Minister to respond by 11 a.m. on Friday. The EC had sent a notice to him on January 27 and Mr. Kejriwal had responded to it on January 28. Read more