Rift within INDIA bloc even during 2024 Lok Sabha elections: Arjun Meghwal

Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal took a jibe at the INDIA bloc and said that there was a rift within the alliance even during the 2024 general elections, adding that alliance parties were together only for political reasons.

This follows the Delhi Assembly Elections where allies of the INDIA alliance - Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced that they would fight the elections separately. However, these two parties have fought the Lok Sabha 2024 elections together.

Speaking to reporters, Meghwal said, "There was a rift within the alliance even during the 2024 general elections... They were together only for political reasons... Their ideology was never the same... It seems that the alliance has broken up..."

The Union Minister further hit out at the AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal over "Sheesh Mahal" stating that he has been exposed.

Exuding confidence in his party, Meghwal said that the BJP would win the upcoming Delhi elections with a huge majority and form its government.

"Arvind Kejriwal has been exposed. He doesn't do anything which he says. He came into politics after the movement by Anna Hazare. Kejriwal initially said he wouldn't take any governmental service, whether car or bungalow. Now, he has made a big bungalow, took 2 securities and a car... Kejriwal's popularity has been decreased. In this upcoming Delhi assembly elections, BJP will win with a huge majority and form its government," Meghwal said.

The political rhetoric between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) intensified on Saturday, with both parties engaging in sharp exchanges and accusing each other of indulging in 'electoral fraud'.

The BJP has sharply criticised the AAP-led government, alleging widespread corruption, inefficiency in implementing welfare schemes, and a failure to address the growing pollution levels in the city.

The BJP has even gone as far as calling AAP's governance a threat to Delhi, drawing a parallel to "AAPda" -- a term they say reflects the disruptive impact on the capital under the AAP rule.

On the other hand, AAP has hit back at the BJP labelling it as the "Galli Galoch party" and accusing it of "dishonest tactics' and "electoral fraud".

Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also claimed that BJP candidate Ramesh Bidhuri will be made the party's CM face and challenged BJP for a debate between the Chief Ministerial candidates of the two parties.

The Delhi assembly polls will be held in a single phase on February 5 and the counting of votes will take place on February 8.

The last date for filing nominations is January 17. The date for scrutiny of nominations is January 18. While last date for withdrawal of candidature is January 20.

The Congress, which was in power for 15 consecutive years in Delhi, has suffered setbacks in the last two assembly elections and has failed to win any seat. In contrast, the AAP dominated the 2020 assembly elections by winning 62 out of 70 seats while the BJP got only eight seats.