Delhi Assembly polls: BJP intensifies poster war against AAP, calls Kejriwal ‘AAPda-e-Azam’

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has escalated its poster campaign against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), targeting the party’s National Convenor, Arvind Kejriwal, ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections on February 5. The AAP has also been targeting the BJP with posters like “Gaali Galoch Party” coming up.

On Saturday, the BJP unveiled a new poster labelling Kejriwal as “Sheesh Mahal wale AAPda-e-Azam.” Sharing it on X, Delhi BJP wrote, “Delhi ki Janta ne thaana hai, Sheesh Mahal wale AAPda-e-Azam ko hatana hai (Delhi’s public has vowed to remove Sheesh Mahal’s AAPda-e-Azam).”

This move came in response to an AAP poster targeting the BJP, which featured Ramesh Bidhuri, the BJP candidate from Kalkaji, and dubbed the BJP as “Gaali Galoch Party.” AAP captioned it on X with, “Gaalibaaz party ka gaalibaaz CM chehra (Abusive CM face of an abusive party).”

The BJP and AAP are locked in an intense battle for Delhi, with BJP’s Parvesh Verma contesting against Kejriwal in the New Delhi Assembly seat, while Ramesh Bidhuri takes on Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and Congress candidate Alka Lamba in Kalkaji. Congress candidate Sandeep Dikshit is also vying for the New Delhi seat, adding another layer to the contest.

Earlier, the BJP launched a series of posters and social media posts highlighting what it termed as the AAP’s failures in governance.

Accusing the Kejriwal government of mismanagement, the BJP labelled it as “Aap-da for Delhi,” alleging, “In the rain, Delhi turns into a city of lakes; Mohalla Clinics have turned into clinics of deaths; AAP promised schools but opened bars instead; less medicine, more alcohol; The capital is parched for clean drinking water, while pothole-riddled roads endanger lives; garbage mountains have sprung up in the streets since the AAP-controlled MCD took charge.”

One of the BJP’s posters emphasised the benefits of a “double-engine government,” stating, “Delhi’s development will gain momentum when there is a double-engine government. Dilli ke dil mein Modi.”

The AAP, which won the 2015 and 2020 Assembly elections by large margins, is vying for a third consecutive term.

Meanwhile, the Congress is fighting to regain relevance in Delhi after being wiped out in the last two Assembly elections. The Congress was in alliance with the AAP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections but is contesting alone in the Assembly polls.

Votes for the Delhi Assembly elections will be counted on February 8.

–IANS