BJP Protests Near Kejriwal's Residence Over Allegations of Fake Voter Registrations from Purvanchal

The Delhi BJP staged a protest on Friday, accusing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of falsely claiming that voters from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand were registered in the electoral rolls ahead of the Delhi assembly elections. Protesters, holding placards with messages like "Purvanchal Virodhi Kejriwal," voiced their discontent against AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, with some attempting to breach security near his residence.

During the protest, slogans such as "Litti chokha khayenge, Kejriwal bhagayenge" and "Purvanchal Virodhi Kejriwal murdabad" were chanted. The term 'Purvanchalis' refers to residents in Delhi from UP, Bihar, and Jharkhand. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari stated, "Arvind Kejriwal has always insulted the Purvanchali community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he made several objectionable statements, and now he has referred to them as fake voters."

Protest Escalation and Police Response

Protesters attempted to move closer to Kejriwal's residence by breaching security barricades. However, police intervened using water cannons to disperse the crowd and prevent further advancement. According to police officials, over 20 protesters were detained for demonstrating without valid permission. They were taken to different police stations in police buses.

A protester expressed anger by saying, "Purvanchalis have been called fake voters. This anger will not subside until we remove Kejriwal from here." Another protester added, "He [Kejriwal] has humiliated us. During Anna Hazare's movement, he used us and made us endure police lathis. And now, he is calling us fake voters."

AAP's Response and Allegations

In response to the BJP's protest, AAP claimed that Kejriwal and the party have consistently honoured the Purvanchali community by appointing its members as ministers, MPs, and MLAs. They also highlighted efforts like constructing hundreds of Chhath ghats to support their traditions. AAP accused BJP of insulting Purvanchalis by labelling them as Rohingya-Bangladeshi and trying to delete their votes.

The AAP government stated it has worked tirelessly to uplift Purvanchalis by installing water and sewer pipelines and improving education and healthcare in unauthorised colonies where many reside. In contrast, they criticised BJP for failing to deliver meaningful results for over a decade despite having all seven MPs.

Electoral Roll Controversy

Kejriwal had earlier accused BJP of manipulating electoral rolls by registering fake voters from UP and Bihar in his New Delhi constituency ahead of assembly polls. He lodged a formal complaint with the Election Commission regarding applications for 13,000 new voters between December 15 and January 8. Addressing the media after filing the complaint, Kejriwal said, "Apparently many of these voters have been brought in from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other neighbouring states to create fake voter registrations."

Kejriwal's remarks led to immediate backlash from BJP leaders who condemned his comments. Elections for the 70-member Delhi assembly are scheduled for February 5, with votes set to be counted on February 8.