Delhi Election: Bollywood-Inspired Poster War Heats Up Between AAP, BJP In Run-Up To High-Stakes Poll Battle

In the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have escalated their rivalry through a spirited and creative poster war, employing Bollywood-inspired themes and satire to appeal to voters.

The latest move came from the Delhi BJP, which on Monday unveiled a poster depicting AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal as Mogambo, the iconic villain from the 1980 Bollywood classic 'Mr India', originally portrayed by the late actor Amrish Puri.

Captioned "Purvanchaliyon se Nafrat ki Aag" (fiery hatred against Purvanchalis), the poster accuses Kejriwal of insulting the Purvanchali community by allegedly referring to some voters as "fake."

Both parties have been vying for the influential Purvanchali vote bank in the capital. Additionally, the BJP alleged that AAP prioritises illegal settlements of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis over the needs of Purvanchalis.

"AAP's anti-Purvanchal face has been exposed before the whole country. People from UP-Bihar living in Delhi are fake for Arvind Kejriwal. But are Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators his friends?" the BJP poster questioned.

The AAP responded with its own satirical jab, parodying a scene from the 1996 Ajay Devgn film 'Diljale'. A spoof video posted on X featured a fictional exchange between Amrish Puri's character, Dara, and a deepfake of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The AAP captioned the video, "Staring at defeat in Delhi, BJP is in a fix."

In the video, Amrish Puri's character mocks "Amit Shah" for failing to present a Chief Ministerial candidate in Delhi, saying: "Dulha kahaan hai, vision kahaan hai, sirf gaaliyan hain. Dilli mein Kejriwal ne kaam karke dikhaya hai aur tumne sirf gaaliyan di hain" (Where is the groom, where is the vision? There are only abuses. Kejriwal has delivered for Delhi, but you've only hurled abuses).

This exchange is the latest chapter in the ongoing "poster-video war" between the two parties. Spoof videos and film-inspired posters have become central to their social media campaigns, heightening the tension.

Previously, AAP targeted BJP's Kalkaji candidate, Ramesh Bidhuri, with a poster portraying him as the antagonist from 'Baahubali 1', labelling him as the "CM face of the abusive party."

In retaliation, the BJP branded Kejriwal as "Sheeshmahal wale AAP-da-e-aazam", criticising the extravagant renovations and fittings at his official residence, which they deemed an excessive display of luxury.

The elections for Delhi's 70-member Assembly are set for February 5, with the results to be announced on February 8.