Kejriwal Accuses BJP Of Poaching AAP Candidates, BJP Threatens Legal Action: 'In Last 2 Hours'

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal has accused the rival BJP of attempting to lure his party's candidates away ahead of the Delhi election results.

In response, the BJP has threatened legal action unless the allegations are withdrawn.

Kejriwal, who has pledged to return as Chief Minister if his party secures victory in the February 5 elections, claimed that 16 AAP candidates received calls the previous day, offering them ₹15 crore to defect.

"In the last two hours, 16 of our candidates have received calls that if they leave AAP and join their party, they will make them ministers and will give ₹15 crore to each of them," Kejriwal stated in an online post.

Highlighting that some exit polls have predicted the BJP will secure more than 55 seats, he questioned why the party needed to poach candidates. "These fake surveys have been conducted with the sole purpose of pressuring some candidates. But not even one of our men will bend," he asserted.

Delhi minister Mukesh Ahlawat, AAP candidate from Sultanpur Majra, backed Kejriwal's claims, stating that he too had been approached with an offer to switch sides.

"I got a call from this number. I was told that their government was being formed, and they would make me a minister and give me ₹15 crore if I left AAP and joined them. But due to the respect that Kejriwal and the AAP have given me, I will never leave my party till my death," he wrote in an online post.

Sharing Ahlawat's post, Chief Minister Atishi alleged that the exit polls-many of which forecast a major defeat for AAP-were part of a "conspiracy to break the party MLAs."

Earlier in the day, AAP leader Sanjay Singh echoed the accusations, stating, "This clearly shows that the BJP has accepted its defeat even before the results."

Dismissing the allegations, BJP Delhi chief Virendra Sachdeva claimed that AAP's statements were driven by "frustration" as the party faced electoral defeat. "Sanjay Singh should either retract his allegations and tender an apology or face legal action," Sachdeva warned.

The BJP leader further reminded Singh that Kejriwal was already entangled in a defamation case.

Delhi voted on February 5 to elect its next government, with votes set to be counted tomorrow. The BJP has been projected as the likely winner by most exit polls, though it is worth noting that exit polls are not always accurate.