Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 | 'AAP is BJP's B-team,' says Congress candidate from Kalkaji constituency Alka Lamba

Congress has fielded one of its prominent leaders, Alka Lamba, to take on Delhi Chief Minister and senior AAP leader Atishi in Kalkaji constituency in the Delhi Assembly elections. One who returned to Congress after being an AAP MLA, she knows her fight is important in the Congress scheme of things. Lamba, the Mahila Congress president, spoke to DH’s Shemin Joy on her electoral battle.

How is the Delhi elections shaping up?

In the past ten years, the AAP and the BJP have not addressed any important issue, be it cleaning Yamuna, tackling pollution or rising unemployment and price rise. No family in Delhi would say that they have got relief from price rise or unemployment. The sewerage system has collapsed. People now seek change.

How is Congress faring?

Congress is fighting with all its strength. We have big faces like Sandeep Dikshit, Devender Yadav and Anil Choudhary fighting the election. We are giving a tough fight to Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi, Manish Sisodia in Jangpura and Atishi. I am sure that all these top AAP wickets will fall.

How tough is your fight against the Chief Minister?

Kejriwal had to resign because the court had tied his hands in the liquor scam case. Atishi has become weak as Kejriwal has said that she is a temporary Chief Minister. People have now made up their mind that she is temporary and has to go.

Isn’t it right that the BJP benefits if the Congress goes after the AAP?

Tell me, who has stopped the BJP in Delhi? When Congress was in power, Sheila Dikshit ensured the BJP’s defeat in Lok Sabha elections for 15 years. Who is winning Lok Sabha when AAP rules Delhi? When BJP understood that they cannot defeat the Congress, they brought in their B-team AAP. AAP attracted some Congress votes with the help of BJP. In the last ten years, AAP has been exposed. Now those votes are returning to the Congress. In the last Lok Sabha elections, we lost the three seats due to our alliance in Delhi. People are intelligent and they know who is dividing the votes.

How different is 2025 for Congress, which has not won a single seat in the last two elections?

The difference is that Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatras helped to stop the BJP from getting 400+ seats in Lok Sabha. It shows the faith people have in Rahul Gandhi and the Congress.

Your BJP rival Ramesh Bidhuri has made sexist comments against women leaders. How do you see his candidature?

Bidhuri has been a Lok Sabha MP but people do not remember any work he has done for them. All councillors in this seat belong to the BJP. People are angry that despite all these BJP representatives, they do not have any relief from price rise or in the job front. I don't see Bidhuri in the contest. The fight is against Atishi.

Delhi Assembly Election 2025 | The first of two state assembly polls this year sees a three-way contest between AAP, Congress, and BJP in the nation's capital. AAP decided to contest the polls alone, causing rumours of a rift in I.N.D.I.A. BJP, meanwhile, is hoping the liquor excise policy scam and pollution in Delhi will give the saffron party an edge over AAP. Kejriwal, on the other hand, has different plans with his demand for reservations for Delhi Jats. Congress will also be looking to make its presence felt and has not held back from attacking its own alliance partner. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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