Delhi Election 2025 Highlights: TMC’s Shatrughan Sinha campaigns for Atishi, calls AAP ‘a tried and tested party’

The AAP dispensation in Delhi refused central assistance out of fear that the credit would go to the Narendra Modi-led Union government, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh claimed on Sunday.

The Defence Minister addressed three election rallies in the national capital -- at Rajendra Nagar, Laxmi Nagar and Chandni Chowk.

Stating that Delhi has had either Congress or AAP in power in the last 26 years, the veteran leader said the BJP should get a turn this time.

Speaking at one of the rallies, Singh said India's economy had grown under the BJP government, but Delhi did not benefit from it.

"The BJP has not had an opportunity to serve Delhi in a long time. Delhi did not get the development it deserves," he said.

India has been on a path of development under the Modi government. India was the 11th largest economy in 2014. Today, it is the fifth largest, he added.

"When India is developing under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, why should Delhi be left behind? The city government does not take the Centre's help. We don't discriminate against any state, but the (Delhi) chief minister is afraid that Modi ji will get the credit," he said.

Singh said both AAP and Congress are the same, having a friendly match in Delhi.

"Congress and AAP are the same; they formed the INDIA alliance. But then Congress got greedy and said they would fight the election on their own," Singh said.

"Congress and AAP are having a friendly fight," he added.

Attacking former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Defence Minister alleged that Kejriwal did not resign even when he was sent to jail in the liquor policy case. PTI

BJP's national spokesperson Sambit Patra on Sunday accused AAP MLA Somnath Bharti of influencing the probe in a case of land grabbing in south Delhi, a charge refuted by the legislator.

The AAP MLA hit back and alleged the involvement of a BJP MP in the land-grabbing case.

Addressing a press conference at the Delhi BJP office, Patra played a purported audio clip of Bharti, claiming that the AAP MLA from Malviya Nagar pressurised an investigating officer to give a slip to an accused and destroy evidence against him in return for a bribe.

A case of land grabbing was registered in the Jaitpur area on November 10, 2023, in which a chargesheet was also filed, Patra said. The accused was a close aide of the AAP MLA who tried to save him, he added.

A video of Bharti meeting the investigating officer is also available, which the BJP will post on its social media platforms, Patra claimed. The party is also mulling to take legal recourse in the matter, he added. PTI

Delhi needs a BJP government that works in tandem with the Centre to ensure real development, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on Sunday.

Addressing a poll rally in Vikaspuri for BJP candidate Pankaj Kumar Singh, he also slammed the Congress over dynastic politics and AAP for its failure of governance in Delhi.

Yadav said Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated his life to the nation and public service. "Meanwhile, other parties are busy promoting their own families." The BJP rewards hard work and merit, unlike other parties that promote family members, he claimed.

"There was no chief minister from my family before me, nor any leader. Yet, the BJP made me chief minister because it values work over family ties," Yadav said.

He also accused the Congress of deepening dynastic politics. PTI

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday took a jibe at AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal over his "Yamuna poisoning" remark and accused him of lying for his own benefit.

Addressing a public meeting in support of the BJP's Mundka candidate Gajendra Daral, the Haryana chief minister urged people to recognise the importance of the upcoming days and emphasised that there was much work to be done in a short period.

"To expose his (Kejriwal's) lies, I went to the Yamuna ghat in Palla village and drank the water myself so that people's fears could be alleviated. I took water from the point where Haryana supplies water to Delhi, as well as from the area where Kejriwal claims to provide water to the city," he said.

"I went upstream from that point to fill the water, and there was a stark difference between the two sources," he added.

On January 27, the AAP supremo alleged that the BJP government in Haryana had mixed poison in the water supplied to Delhi through the Yamuna.

"Thanks to DJB (Delhi Jal Board) engineers, who caught it and stopped the water, it did not enter Delhi. If that water got mixed with drinking water, a mass genocide would have happened," Kejriwal had said.

He had claimed the BJP wanted to mix "poison" in the water supplied to Delhi to trigger chaos so that AAP could be blamed for people dying. PTI

All across West Delhi’s Moti Nagar, BJP’s Harish Khurana encounters fond memories of his father as he campaigns for the Delhi Assembly polls — from a shopkeeper to a driver, everyone remembers ‘Dilli ka sher’ Madan Lal Khurana.

Madan Lal was Delhi’s Chief Minister between 1993 and 1996 after the BJP swept the polls when the Legislative Assembly was reconstituted. He also served as a Union Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

Three decades later, Harish makes his election debut, contesting from the same seat his father represented. Read More

The national capital experienced partly cloudy weather on Sunday, with the maximum temperature recorded at 22 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperature was 11.3 degrees Celsius, which was three notches above the seasonal average, while the humidity levels were recorded at 97 per cent at 8:30 am.

The India Meteorological Department has forecast dense fog and partly cloudy skies with light drizzle on Monday.

The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to be 22 and 9 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Delhi's air quality remained in the "very poor" category, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 327 at 6 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. PTI

Alongside Shatrughan Sinha, Atishi also addressed saying, "Did Kejriwal give you 24 hour electricity? Was the bill 0? Bus rides were free? Were the schools free? If yes, then Kejriwal deserves your vote."

When people come and threaten you and say "Jhaadu ko vote diya toh dekh lena (if you give vote to the broom, then you will see)" then reply saying "We will decide on February 5."

"Agar paise denge, toh le lenge, par vote denge jhaadu ko" (If you give us money then will take it, but vote will be given to the broom."

"This (AAP) is a tried and tested party. Others are making promises before elections. Toh pehle kyun ni kiya ? Here, AAP has already done it."

While taking a dig at Prime Minister Man ki Baat, Sinha says, "AAP and Atishi have my blessings and full support. Kejriwal, Saurabh Bhardwaj, Manish Sisodia and humari sabse pyaari Atishi ko support karein. I am saying everything from my heart, not from a teleprompter. I don't do man ki baat, people are bored of it. I am doing Dil ki baat."

"Whenever the other parties go to any election, they will say they will give you everything. They promise a bridge where there is no river. That's what I have come here to tell you, Sinha said."

Sinha while speaking at Kalkaji, further said:

"In the budget yesterday, they talked about purvanchal. They talked about making green fields. But how will it affect the poor people? What's in it for them?

Commenting on the recent Union Budget that was released yesterday by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Sinha said ,"They have now announced about tax exemption till income of Rs 12 lakhs. Only 3 crore 20 lakhs people pay income tax. But the exemption is only for the salaried class. How many government employees are in our country? What about other people?"

Shatrughan Sinha, TMC MP, while campaigning for Delhi Chief Minister Aitishi on Sunday says, "Some people have ran a ku-chakra in Delhi politics. This doesn't look like campaign of Atishi. It looks like a vijay samaroh (Winning celebration). Under Kejriwal's leadership, people are appreciating his work around the world. People are trying to copy him. They got a chance before--to work for education, health, old people, women. Only one other person has done it--the woman of prominence, Mamta Banerjee. She has sent me to talk in this jansabha."

Calling the elections a fight between the power of money and people, Sinha said in Kalkaji, "I am going to talk against any particular party or person. But elections are being fought in money power. The fight is between Dhan Shakti and Jan shakti. But Jan Shakti will beat Dhan Shakti."

"Our Prachar Mantri, I mean our Pradhan Mantri, says he works 18 hours. But out of that, for 12 hours I see him doing only campaigning for his party. You said you will give Rs 15 lakhs to each person, that the income of farmers would be doubled. But Farmer's income has reduced from Rs 32 to Rs 27 per day, he claims"

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, is speaking at a public rally in Delhi's Babarpur. The truth is that everyone is working to provide education to their children, but the government is not ensuring employment for the. The Government has levied a GST on books, stationery and uniform.

Gandhi, while raising a small book of Constitution, throws a wrath of criticism over PM Modi, "Look at their 10 years of governance, what have they done..Here they are making Rajmahals, sheeshmahals. When Covid took place and everyone was in distress, Modi ji was thinking of making a plan to spend 20, 000 crores for decorating India gate and parliament. Was it his money??? Even Kejriwal made a sheeshmahal with the people's money...."

They publish advertisements in newspapers... See them on February 5. Do you know how much these cost..Priyanka asked the audience. "50 Lakhs for big newspapers and 5 Lakhs for small newspapers, the Congress leader claimed.

The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday alleged one of its campaign vans in the New Delhi constituency, from where AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal is contesting the polls, was vandalised by BJP workers. Former chief minister Kejriwal also shared the video of the van on X. Earlier the day, Kejriwal wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar alleging hooliganism and intimidation by the BJP workers, and seeking the deployment of special election observers in New Delhi. PTI

The Congress on Sunday set up an eight-member committee -- Empowered Action Group of Leaders and Experts (EAGLE) -- to monitor the conduct of free and fair elections by the Election Commission of India.

The committee will first take up the Maharashtra voters' list manipulation issue, and submit a detailed report to the leadership at the earliest, the party said in a statement. Significantly, the setting up of the panel comes just days before the Delhi Assembly polls. PTI

Neetu got married seven years ago and had been unable to conceive. Upset by this, she allegedly concocted a story that she was pregnant. Last week, she left her home in Alipur village on the pretext of getting admitted to the hospital for the delivery. She later called her husband and told him she had given birth to a boy. She came home with the infant — eight hours later, police landed at her doorstep. The newborn, it turned out, was not Neetu’s son — she had allegedly kidnapped the child, a four-month-old, from Safdarjung Hospital.

Police arrested the 35-year-old from Ambedkar Colony in Alipur. The infant was recovered and handed over to the parents. Read More

Ahead of assembly elections in Delhi, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday urged voters to choose “education over violence”, stating that the Aam Aadmi Party is working towards empowering youth.

Addressing a roadshow in Jangpura as part of the AAP's election campaign, Mann claimed that the people of Delhi have already made up their minds and the voting on February 5 is just a “formality”.

"People have only two options, one is a party that prioritises education and the other that thrives on conflict. You must decide which path to take," Mann said.

The Punjab chief minister also urged Delhiites to re-elect Arvind Kejriwal as their chief minister for a historic fourth term. PTI

On the election day, that is February 5, various schools and colleges participate in the election process and are declared as polling booths. As a regular practice followed in every election, schools and colleges remain closed on the election day.

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has already announced that all the central government offices, including industrial establishments in Delhi, will be closed on the election day for the employees to exercise their democratic right.

In this Delhi election, Arvind Kejriwal made water a big issue by irresponsibly charging the government of Haryana with poisoning the water of the Yamuna. Luckily nobody believed him, and he had to admit last week that the Yamuna’s water was now clean. May I point out that in developed countries you do not see rivers as polluted as our sacred Ganga and Yamuna have become.

When I see real economic reforms replaced today by populist welfare schemes that do no more than fling money at people just before elections come along, I begin to truly despair.

Writes Tavleen Singh in her column

In Delhi's Swami Shradhanand Marg, better known as Garstin Bastion or GB Road, national capital's biggest red light area-- no one from the AAP, BJP, or Congress has come for campaigning. During the day, the street, running from Ajmeri Gate to Lahori Gate near New Delhi railway station and lined with rows of old rundown buildings, is a busy motor parts market bustling with traffic and people ferrying their luggage and cargo. After the sun goes down, when the shopkeepers down their shutters, hundreds of sex workers emerge from their tiny rooms to meet their customers.

What do they think about the February 5 polls? One of the women says elections don’t mean much to them. “Governments come and go… political parties change… Our lives remain stagnant… Everybody knows we exist. We’ve been here since British times. But for them… we’re always invisible.” Read More

Compared to the 2020 elections, there has been a surge in ultra-rich candidates, with billionaires and crorepatis dominating the political battlefield, according to a report. Almost all the ultra-rich candidates have been fielded by the three major political parties — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress.

The Delhi Assembly election report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) reveals an increase in the number of high-net-worth individuals contesting. The number of candidates with assets exceeding Rs 50 crore have increased--In 2020, only 13 candidates fell into this category, whereas the number has risen to 23 this year. Read More

Delhi Police on Sunday arrested a member of Sunder Bhati gang, also known as the 'makora' gang, from east Delhi, officials said.

Police seized two automatic pistols and 125 ammunition, including magazines used for AK-47 weapon.

The accused, Amrish Bhati was apprehended on January 28 near a five star hotel in Ghazipur Mandi, based on intelligence gathered from a previous gang member's detention, police said.

According to police, Amrish (34), from Greater Noida, was pursuing a postgraduate degree in Hindu Studies. PTI

Retired Justice S N Dhingra, in his capacity as president of Samay Yaan (Sashakt Samaj), a non-profit society, recently moved the Delhi High Court with a public interest litigation (PIL) days before the national capital heads to Assembly polls, challenging the poll promises being made by the AAP, BJP, and the Congress, as well as voter data collection by the AAP on the pretext of extending benefits of Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana.

The PIL is also seeking cash-oriented schemes to be declared unconstitutional and classified as election manipulation. It is also seeking directions to the Election Commission of India to frame rules for political parties in respect of promises against cash distribution to voters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a gathering in Delhi's RK Puram on Sunday, said that the time has come to remove the "AAP-da" government from the Capital.

“Narendra Modi has a request from you all. Since the last ten years, the AAP-da has turned this city from bad to worse, the time has come, to remove the AAP-da sarkaar, jinke aapne sheesh mahal hote hai, unko gareeb ki Jhuggi Aur middle class ka 2 BHK nahi dikhti," Modi said.

"On one hand the BJP is increasing your earnings and savings, and on the other hand, the AAP-da has made the lives of Delhi’s residents miserable — AAP-da has given you all health issues — be it coughing, lung problems, breathing issues, people are also getting sick by drinking the dirty Yamuna's water, the pollution has also been leading to traffic problems, when there is pollution, the people of Delhi suffer, the BJP will get Delhi out of this situation, and this is Modi’s guarantees,” he added.

Energising his own candidate, he said, “There are just 2 days left, we have to now ensure that we reach every household, every voter.”

Talking about the schemes for women, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a crowd in Delhi's RK Puram, said, “we are not giving women just money through the Mudra loan, but we are also going to train them. With this loan, Delhi’s sisters have opened their dhabas, parlours, boutiques.”

“We have pledged to give Rs 2,500 to our sisters, this guarantee will be completed because it is Modi’s guarantee. You all will see that on 8th March, the BJP government will be formed in Delhi. And on 8th March, which is International Women’s Day, they will start getting money in their accounts,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a gathering in Delhi's RK Puram, asserted that the "AAP-da has been spreading rumours," and affirmed that "not a single jhuggi will be broken down in Delhi."

“I have been receiving messages from my purvanchali brothers and sisters, they are congratulating me on social media, these messages are not just for the prime minister, these messages are coming because Modi has become a Sansad from Purvanchal, they made me a Sansad and they made me the prime minister. I would like to thank Nirmala ji for keeping so much care of the purvanchalis in the Budget,” he said.

“By working for the people of Bihar, we are doing a good deed, but bhaiyon aur behno, the Congress and the AAP-da has an issue with that too. It is difficult for the purvanchalis to even celebrate Chhath, but the AAP-da had an issue with the purvanchalis getting government projects,” he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a gathering in Delhi’s RK Puram, said that the youth, who have their first or second job, will benefit from the waived-off taxes upto Rs 12 lakhs.

“Now that there is no tax on income upto Rs 12 lakhs, the youth will benefit the most from this - those who have their first or second job,” he said.

“From schools to research, we have put a lot of emphasis on the youth. We have announced that we will open Atal tinkering labs in schools, the motive is to ensure that the poor’s children can also learn with technology,” he said.

“To ensure that as many people as possible can become engineers and doctors— there have been a lot of steps that have been taken. In IIT, there will be seats that will be increased. This will happen in medical colleges too, the ST/SC youth will also immensely benefit from this,” he said.

“In this budget, we have also pushed sports... the people of Delhi can never forget how the AAP-da and Congress have done corruption in sports, everyone remembers the commonwealth scam,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a gathering in Delhi's RK Puram, hailed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre for understanding the aspirations of the middle-class in the Budget this year.

“After the 8th pay commission, your salaries and pensions are going to increase, we are a government that understands the aspirations of the middle class before taking decisions,” PM Modi said.

“All our retired government employees are also going to benefit from the budget, their taxes will also be saved, which will increase their pensions,” the PM said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government will prove to be a blessing for senior citizens of Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a mega roadshow in RK Puram on Sunday.

“The Delhi BJP has announced a Rs 2,500 pension for the elderly, if our government comes to power, then the elderly will also get healthcare worth Rs 5 lakhs, almost every household has the elderly who are facing health issues. After Delhi gets a BJP government, then your son Modi will take care of it,” he said in his speech.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday arrived for the mega road show in Delhi's RK Puram. Being the second last day to campaign for the elections, the BJP is holding 51 events across the Capital.

Upon his arrival, the crowd raised slogans of “5 February ka din hoga, Kamal ka chinhn hoga.”

With the Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP accusing each other of distributing cash and other gifts to woo voters in Delhi, the Election Commission on Saturday instructed enforcement agencies to keep a close watch on misuse of money power ahead of the February 5 Assembly polls.

The EC held a meeting with the chief electoral officer (CEO), district election officers (DEO) and deputy commissioners of police (DCP) of Delhi to reiterate directions issued earlier. Writing to the CEO, the EC said the measures were especially necessary in the 72 hours before polling.

The EC said all DEOs should hold law and order review meetings with DCPs in presence with the EC-appointed observers.

Read more here.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday, addressing a press conference, announced the launch of an online campaign '#amitshahkigundagardi' by his party against alleged attacks by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

"Our leaders are being forced to join the BJP. They did not even leave the woman workers and leaders. They are troubling them also. Delhi people are very calm people and like to live a peaceful life. The city is the national capital and the people never saw such an election campaign ever. I appeal to the people of Delhi to let's unite together and end this gunda gardi," Kejriwal said.

He also said, "Amit Shahji you don't have CM face, narrative or any work to show...stop this gunda gardi, people of Delhi will not tolerate this kind of behaviour and approach.", tweet it. But be careful while making a video because they will attack you also...," Kejriwal added.

He also said, "Amit Shah ji you don't have CM face, narrative or any work to show... Stop this gundagardi, people of Delhi will not tolerate this kind of behaviour and approach."