Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 | 'Electoral fraud' allegation, CAG report dominate AAP-BJP exchange ahead of polls

Kejriwal wrote to the Election Commission on adding around 800 votes by way of transfer at premises belonging to BJP leaders. The BJP, meanwhile, sought to corner the AAP chief on the excise policy scam.

New Delhi: Allegations are raining in Delhi election campaign, with the AAP on Saturday claiming that a large number of votes are being registered at addresses of BJP leaders, including Union ministers, and the BJP asking Arvind Kejriwal who “pocketed” Rs 2,026 crore following the excise scam.

Kejriwal wrote to the Election Commission on adding around 800 votes by way of transfer at premises belonging to BJP leaders, including registration of 13 votes at an address in the name of former Karnataka MP G Siddeshwara and 33 votes at his BJP rival Parvesh Verma’s government accommodation.

Calling it a “deliberate attempt to alter the electoral rolls in favour of BJP candidates”, he demanded an immediate halt to such transfers and strict action, including disqualification of candidates like Verma who are facilitating such "electoral fraud".

In his letter, Kejriwal cited cases of addition of voters at the official residences of Union ministers Pankaj Chaudhary (26 votes) and Kamlesh Paswan (26) besides 12 other BJP MPs. He also said a large number of votes are being sought to be transferred to small houses, shops and offices and cited the case of an application for adding 44 votes from a temple.

A one-room servant quarter has seen application for addition of 15 votes while a two-bedroom flat at the Vithalbhai Patel House, an apartment complex for MPs, has seen an application for 24 voters. He said they could not locate five addresses from where applications for 66 votes were sought to be transferred.

“It is inconceivable how such a high number of voters could have suddenly applied to be transferred to these properties without planning by the highest levels of BJP leadership,” Kejriwal wrote to the EC, seeking registration of an FIR.

On its part, BJP said Kejriwal will have to answer the questions raised by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), which is learnt to have projected a loss of Rs 2,026 crore due to the controversial excise policy of the AAP government.

BJP president J P Nadda led the charge, alleging that the 'liquorgate' exposed the Kejriwal and AAP government. “(The) 'AAP'DA model of loot in full display and that too on something like liquor,” he said, adding that it is just a matter of weeks before AAP is voted out and punished for its misdeeds.

Senior BJP leader Anurag Thakur said Kejriwal will have to say “who pocketed the money” while alleging that the AAP chief was the kingpin of the scam. "AAP promised ‘Pathshala’ (school), but built ‘Madhushala’ (bars). They spoke of ‘Jhadu’ (broom) but it led to ‘Daaru’ (liquor) and promised ‘Swaraj’ only to deliver ‘Sharab’ (liquor)."

Separately, Kejriwal also claimed that “sources in the BJP” have told AAP that Ramesh Bidhuri will be BJP's Chief Ministerial face and challenged him for a debate, while the Congress announced that its top leader Rahul Gandhi will hit the campaign trail with a rally in Seelampur on Monday.