AAP rallies top Punjab leaders, including CM, in Delhi to strengthen campaign against BJP

New Delhi: As the Delhi assembly elections approach, the AAP has deployed top leaders from Punjab, including Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, to defend its strongest fort against a fierce challenge from the BJP.

According to party sources, over 300 leaders from Punjab, including the chief minister, cabinet ministers, MLAs, chairpersons of boards and corporations and volunteers, have been stationed.

The BJP, determined to breach this stronghold, has not only mirrored AAP’s welfare promises but, in some cases, have countered them. For instance, while Arvind Kejriwal announced a Rs 2,100 monthly allowance for women, the BJP countered with Rs 2,500, intensifying the competition for voters’ trust.

To counter this aggressive push, AAP has mobilised its Punjab unit in full force. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is leading the charge, holding two to three roadshows every day with AAP candidates in various constituencies across Delhi.

Mann in a road show in the Tri Nagar constituency on Tuesday said, "By pressing the 'jhadu' button on the 5th, your responsibility ends, and ours begins. By fulfilling the promises made to people in Delhi-Punjab, we roam in the court of people. People who call our public facilities 'revdis' are misleading the people,".

AAP's Punjab chief Aman Arora is also holding road shows and 'padayatras' across the city.

Each Punjab MLA has been tasked with managing one constituency, while ministers are overseeing two to three constituencies each, sources said.

The Punjab leadership is also engaging in grassroots campaigns, focusing on door-to-door outreach and public engagement highlighting AAP’s welfare schemes implemented in Punjab, such as the establishment of Aam Aadmi Clinics, creation of 48,000 jobs and the provision of 300 units of free electricity, to reinforce the party’s credibility.

This election is not just a battle for power but also a referendum on AAP’s governance model, which has been implemented in Delhi and Punjab. The stakes are higher than ever for the party, with the BJP mounting an unprecedented challenge.

The BJP has accused AAP of misusing Punjab government resources to bolster its campaign in Delhi. BJP leader and candidate from New Delhi constituency challenging Kejriwal, Parvesh Verma alleged that vehicles with Punjab registration plates, government teachers, and materials such as chairs and water dispensers have been diverted to Delhi for election purposes.

Verma also raised concerns over the alleged installation of "Chinese CCTV cameras" in slums, claiming they were hastily installed and posed a security risk.

Despite these allegations, the party remains focused on its campaign, with the Punjab leadership working tirelessly to connect with voters at the grassroots level.

The outcome on February 8 will not only determine the future of AAP’s governance model but also its ability to retain its dominance in the national capital.