Delhi News Live Updates: AAP leaders stopped from entering Delhi CM’s residence, now march towards PM’s house

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi wrote a letter to the Election Commission (EC) seeking an appointment to address issues over "large-scale voter deletions and additions in the New Delhi Assembly Constituency."

She said, "This is regarding my earlier letter dated January 5, highlighting the issue of large-scale voter deletions and additions in the New Delhi Assembly Constituency."

She added, "I had sought and appointment from your good office for a meeting to uprise you of the issue in person. However, in response to my letter, my officer has received a correspondence... from Shri Lalit Mittal, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Delhi stating that the office is ascertaining the facts mentioned in my letter."

CM Atishi further wrote, "Sir, in my letter, I sought an urgent appointment with your good self to personally discuss this matter and seek directions since this matter is beyond the scope of the local CEO. With less than 27 days left for the Delhi Assembly Elections, this matter should be considered at the highest priority. Delhi is the only state going to polls during this time, and the entire country and its media will closely follow the elections and its processes."

"We place our trust in the Election Commission of India to uphold the principles of free and fair elections. Once again, I would like to ask you to please give an appointment as soon as possible to ensure free and fair elections in the upcoming Delhi Assembly," she added.

A professor at Delhi University's Ramjas College, who had been accused of sexual harassment, resigned on Wednesday following protests by students on campus over the alleged inaction by the adminstration on the issue.

The alleged incident reportedly took place in December last year, when the professor, who also holds a prominent position in the university's student welfare cell, sexually harassed a minor female student.

Students from various groups, including left-leaning organizations such as the All India Students Association (AISA) and the Students Federation of India (SFI), as well as the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), held demonstrations on Wednesday demanding the professor's suspension.

The protest turned violent when some unidentified individuals wielding sticks attacked students on campus, as seen in videos circulating on social media.

(PTI)

Ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday announced its support for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Arvind Kejriwal said he is “personally grateful” to TMC chief and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee for the support.

“TMC has announced support to AAP in Delhi elections. I am personally grateful to Mamata Didi. Thank you Didi. You have always supported and blessed us in our good and bad times,” Arvind Kejriwal wrote in a post on X.

In December, during a Mahila Adalat organized by AAP, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, an ally in the INDIA bloc, also announced his support for AAP in the Delhi elections. Both the Samajwadi Party and Trinamool Congress were key members of the INDIA bloc and fought the Lok Sabha elections together. Read More

BJP New Delhi seat candidate Parvesh Verma on Wednesday launched "Har Ghar Naukari" (job for every household) campaign, promising jobs to the youth of the constituency currently held by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal.

Registration has already begun for a job fair that will be held on January 15. More than 50 prominent companies from across the country will participate in the job fair to be held at Constitution Club, said a statement from Verma.

"Har Ghar Naukri is our promise. Through this job fair, we aim to provide jobs to the youth based on their skills and qualifications," Verma said.

The BJP leader said 15 centres have been set up across the constituency for registration.

(PTI)

Ramjas College students protesting against a professor accused of sexual harassment were allegedly attacked by ABVP members on the college lawns, according to the students' union.

Permitting infrastructure conglomerate Punj Lloyd’s director and promoter Atul Punj to travel abroad, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday recorded that restrictions such as a lookout circular (LOC) “must pass the test of proportionality and necessity, ensuring that they are imposed only when supported by credible material.”

The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) began investigating Punj Lloyd Limited in 2019 following directions from the Centre after the firm defaulted on credit payments to lending consortiums.

Justice Sanjeev Narula held that “prolonged restrictions on his right to travel cannot be justified” in the absence of conclusive findings against Punj after five years of investigation and considering his continued cooperation. Read More

Arvind Kejriwal said he is "personally grateful" to Mamata Banerjee as the Trinamool Congress announced its support for the Aam Aadmi Party ahead of the Delhi elections.

He said in a post on X, "TMC has announced support to AAP in Delhi elections. I am personally grateful to Mamata Didi. Thank you Didi. U have always supported and blessed us in our good and bad times."

AAP leaders' attempt to take a media tour to former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence here in a bid to counter "Sheesh Mahal" jibes has earned the BJP's wrath which said Sanjay Singh and Saurabh Bharadwaj trying to "forcibly" enter the premises was an example of "irresponsible, insane and anarchic behaviour".

Their conduct was also an example of "political etiquette and ethics" being demolished, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said.

He slammed Singh and Bharadwaj for resorting to such a "shameless" act and said no matter how much they try they cannot get away from the "disgusting display of corruption" in building Kejriwal's "Sheesh Mahal".

Kejriwal's 'Sheesh Mahal' has become a "monument of his extravagance" and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) cannot hide from this truth, he said.

Earlier in the day, Sanjay Singh and Saurabh Bhardwaj tried to enter the 6, Flagstaff Road House, official residence of former chief minister Kejriwal, with the media. However, they were stopped by the authorities from entering the premises.

(PTI)

Delhi Congress announced the Jeevan Raksha Yojna, which will provide health insurance worth Rs 25 lakh to every resident of Delhi. This is the party's second key promise, following the announcement of Pyari Didi Yojana, a Rs 2,500 monthly cash scheme for women.

AAP leaders, including Shamsher Singh (District President), Manish Singh (District President, Janakpuri), Reena Mehra (Mahila Morcha District Prabhari, Janakpuri), Harpal Singh (President, Religious Wing), Jugal Kishore (Senior Citizen Wing Member Secretary), Lavnya Bhagat (Joint Secretary, Student Wing), Rekha Singh (Ward President, Janakpuri), Jai Bhagwan Sangwan (Jaat Mahasabha, Janakpuri), Prerna Singh (Janakpuri Vidhan Sabha Member), Sunita Singh (Mandal Adhyaksh, Janakpuri), and several others joined the BJP today.

Around 10 AAP members, including district presidents, trade wing presidents, members of Mahila Morcha and student wings, joined BJP on Wednesday in presence of East Delhi MP Harsh Malhotra.

This comes just a day after the Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the Delhi assembly election, set to take place on February 5.

BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi said during a press conference, "The reality of 'memorial of corruption' in Delhi is coming out before the people. No matter how much Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh and minister Saurabh Bharadwaj try, they will not be able to save the 'sheesh mahal', which a memorial or museum of Arvind Kejriwal's luxury. Whatever they did today showed how desperate they are."

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj and Sanjay Singh are sitting on a dharna near the official residence of Prime Minister - 7, Lok Kalyan Marg - in Delhi, but were stopped from getting close to the house by the security.

"We are being stopped by BJP’s police. The question is why they don’t want the public to see PM’s residence," said Saurabh Bharadwaj.

While interacting with a police officer, Sanjay Singh said that the leaders will sit their for 10 minutes.

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said, "Our question is from Delhi CM who had said that we would not stay in a bungalow. Arvind Kejriwal once said to me that a CM should stay in a one-room house. We are raising questions because you said all this. You had raised questions on Sheila Dikshit ji saying that there were 12 ACs installed in her house, but you had around 50 ACs at your residence...You call yourselves an 'Aam Aadmi' but what kind of a common man lives like this? You have not answered any questions about your 'Sheesh Mahal' till now..."

Delhi minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said, "The BJP used to release new photos, videos of the bungalow daily, now we are here with all the cameramen, but the BJP is running away. There's security here like the border area. Why? Because the media should not enter. Where is the swimming pool? Where is the 'golden toilet'? Where is the bar? The BJP has alleged that the CM residence was constructed for Rs 33 crore. It is being said that PM residence is being constructed for Rs 2,700 crore. We will show people the CM's residence, PM's residence and then they decide whether the election of Delhi will be contested on these issues."

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj, while addressing the press outside CM's residence, said, "Everyday the BJP has been raising this issue that we have made the residence with the taxpayers money, it’s true, it has been made using the taxpayers money, yes, it has been made at the cost of Rs 33 crores, but has the prime ministers residence also not made using the taxpayers money?”

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, amid heavy barricading and security outside the 6 Flagstaff bungalow, sat in protest in front of the house demanding a media tour of the house. AAP leaders said that they should be allowed to show the house to the people of Delhi amid allegations of extravagant modifications done by former CM Arvind Kejriwal.

AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj and Sanjay Singh on Wednesday morning arrived at the official chief minister's residence in Delhi, where heavy security has been deployed. The AAP leaders questioned why barricading was done at the 6 Flagstaff bungalow before their arrival, and demanded to take the media on a tour of the house amid the 'Sheesh Mahal' row.

The Delhi assembly election 2025 are set to take place on February 5, and the Model Code of Conduct has now been implemented across the national capital. All hoardings and posters are being taken down, as per the Model Code of Conduct, as well as other norms. These norms will remain in place till the elections in the national capital conclude.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday will resume hearing the bail plea of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and other accused in the 2020 Delhi riots case, charged with UAPA.

During the hearing on Tuesday, the prosecution told the high court bench that the "conspiracy was planned to be executed through inimical forces of neighbouring countries”.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma told the HC, “It is a case of clinical, pathological conspiracy planned and executed with diabolical and ruthless intentions.”

According to the forecast by India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cold wave in Delhi is expected to intensify this week, with the minimum temperature likely to drop to 5 degrees Celsius in the next couple of days. In the seven day forecast released by IMD, it predicted that the temperature in Delhi will start dropping from Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported that the AQI had been lingering in the 'inferior' category for the past week.

The BJP on Tuesday termed as “lies” Delhi Chief Minister Atishi's claim that her official residence was snatched away and said the allotment of 6, Flagstaff Road, house was withdrawn for two “key reasons”, which included her “failure” to take its possession within the required time-frame.

This came after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) earlier in the day alleged that the BJP-led Centre snatched away the chief minister's official residence by cancelling its allotment. "An official residence does not matter to me. I will work for the people of Delhi from the streets if needed,” Atishi said at a joint press conference with senior AAP leaders here.

"When they snatched away my official residence, I pledged to provide Rs 2,100 to our women. I will provide free healthcare to our elderly," she added.

Hitting back, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said there are “no takers for her lies”. “The allotment of ‘Sheesh Mahal' has been withdrawn, as we learn, for two key reasons: first her failure to take possession and second CBI/ED investigation,” he said in a post on X. (PTI)

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Thursday fielded Safa-ur-Rehman Khan, President of the Alumni Association of Jamia Millia Islamia to contest from Okhla assembly seat.

Earlier, the Owaisi-led party had announced Tahir Hussain, a former AAP councillor who was expelled from the party after being accused in the 2020 Delhi Riots as its Seelampur candidate.

The Public Works Department on Thursday allotted Delhi Chief Minister Atishi new housing options. Earlier, she was allotted the 6 Flagstaff Road bungalow in Civil Lines.

PWD officials told The Indian Express that the Delhi CM accepted the Civil Lines bungalow technically, but she did not physically move to the house. Despite several requests from PWD officials and issuance of "Habitable certificate" she did not move, so the offer got cancelled. The department also said that it was not a designated house for CM.

With Assembly elections in Delhi scheduled on February 5 and results set to be announced three days later, a lot is at stake for the three stakeholders – the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), its main challenger BJP and the Congress, which was once the dominant player in the national capital.

The high-stakes electoral battle comes after the BJP’s underwhelming performance in last year’s Lok Sabha elections and a surprise comeback in the Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly elections a few months ago. At stake are the brand values of both former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The AAP is facing its toughest election till date, while the BJP is desperately hoping to return to power after over two-and-a-half decades. The Congress, on the other hand, is praying for a miracle, to resurrect the party which was blown away by the AAP a decade ago.

Read more here

THE Delhi Assembly poll dates are finally out, with voting on February 5 and results on February 8. Going by past polls, the BJP’s dominance in recent Lok Sabha polls notwithstanding, Delhi’s Assembly has been dominated first by the Congress and now by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Since Delhi’s Legislative Assembly was established in 1993 – it had a metropolitan council with no legislative powers until then – the BJP has come to power only one time, in the first Assembly polls. The Congress ruled Delhi for three consecutive terms from 1998 to 2013, before the AAP came to power first in 2013, with a short-lived minority government, and has now completed its second consecutive term (2015 to 2025).

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CEC Rajiv Kumar announced the detailed schedule of the upcoming Delhi assembly election 2025, set to take place in a single phase on February 5.

The voting of the Delhi assembly election 2025 will take place in a single phase on February 5, and the counting of the votes will be done on February 8.

CEC Rajiv Kumar announced that the term of the Delhi Assembly is set to end on February 23 for all 70 seats.

CEC Rajiv Kumar said that the manipulation of voter turnout during elections is "an impossibility". He further said that comparing the final voter turnout with the 5 pm count is misleading, and polling officials always confirm all the votes before the count is released to the public.

CEC Rajiv Kumar, while speaking about the Electronic Voting Machines, said that they are not hackable. He further said that there is no way to introduce a virus of bug in the EVMs that can manipulate the number of votes, and rigging is not possible.

CEC Kumar said EVMs are tamper proof and allegations regarding manipulations are baseless.

Debunking the claims, CEC Rajiv Kumar said that deletion of names from the electoral roll is not possible without proper notice from the ECI. He further highlighted the detailed process of adding and deleting names from the electoral roll.

Addressing concerns and allegations regarding irregularities in the electoral roll, CEC Rajiv Kumar said that deletions in the electoral roll is not possible without a proper notice to the person and the submission of Form 7 to the Election Commission.

He said that annual data collection is done with due diligence by the ECI, and if there are any objections, the public has the right to raise these issues with the Commission.

CEC Rajiv Kumar addressed the concerns raised by many regarding EVM malfunction during voting and allegations of irregularities in the polls.

"Right to question is an inherent right. It is our responsibility to answer these questions," he said.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar commenced the press conference of the Election Commission at 2 pm today. The dates for the Delhi election 2025 are expected to be announced shortly.

CEC Rajiv Kumar also addressed the issue of allegations of EVM malfunction and removal of voters from the electoral roll.

Ahead of the expected announcement of the schedule for the Delhi Assembly elections, Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday visited the New Delhi railway station to rally support for the BJP.

He interacted with autorickshaw drivers and coolies, listened to their grievances and promised solutions to improve their working conditions.

Vaishnaw, who was accompanied by the BJP's Delhi chief Virendra Sachdeva, garlanded the coolies and the autorickshaw drivers. The coolies reciprocated the gesture by tying turbans on the minister and Sachdeva.

The rail minister assured the autorickshaw drivers that their concerns would be addressed. (PTI)

The Election Commission of India press conference to announce the schedule of the Delhi elections 2025 is expected to commence shortly.

The ECI will announce the date of polls, and Model Code of Conduct will be implemented in the national capital till the polls conclude.

Speaking on the Election Commission press conference on upcoming Delhi election dates, BJP leader Manoj Tiwari said, "We are eagerly waiting for the announcement of elections, people are also waiting. Delhi has suffered for 10 years, people are waiting to remove AAP, bring BJP. People are hassled. I was in an area in Delhi where people were singing, 'jhadu wala hi daru wala hai'. People know that they only talk nice but instead they loot, do corruption, pollution. Now they are going. BJP will form government."

During the launch of the poll campaign song of the Aam Aadmi Party, national convener Arvind Kejriwal took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party and called it the 'Gaali Galoch Party'. He said, "Even the Gaali Galoch Party and their leader can sing this song and dance to it. They may not do it publicly but will surely do it inside their homes."

AAP's new campaign song for the upcoming Delhi elections has been written and composed by its social media team and volunteers, the party said.

The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday launched its official poll campaign song for the upcoming 2025 Delhi election - 'Phir Layenge Kejriwal'.

On the launch of the new poll campaign song, AAP national convener said, "Delhi elections are like a festival. We celebrate our polls. Not only Delhi but the entire country was waiting for AAP's campaign song. This is our third poll song.

You play this song in all the parties, functions and weddings."

At the launch event of 'Bharatpol', Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, "Today, we have launched BHARATPOL. It is a beginning of next era of our country's international investigation processes. So far, only CBI was designated to work with Interpol. However, with the formation of BHARATPOL, all the agencies of the country and state police will be able to connect with Interpol with great ease. We will be able to bridge the gap with the help of technology used in BHARATPOL. We will be able to receive several information which will help in analysing international crimes which in turn will help us in establishing a structure to stop crimes before they are committed."

Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed the launch of 'Bharatpol' portal in Delhi on Tuesday, enabling law enforcement agencies (LEAs) across India to access real-time information for quicker international police assistance.

Developed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the BHARATPOL portal will be launched at an event being organised at Bharat Mandapam. It is part of several key initiatives by the central government to strengthen the country's law enforcement capabilities.

Delhi continued to experience "very poor" air quality on Tuesday morning, with an air quality index (AQI) of 337 at around 9:30 am.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data recorded at 9:30 am, the AQI in Alipur was at 325, Ashok Vihar at 337, the AQI was recorded at 322, and at Bawana, it was 324 at RK Puram--all falling into the 'very poor' category.

Earlier today, Delhi was shrouded in a thick layer of fog as the cold wave gripped the city, accompanied by plummeting temperatures and biting winds.

The Delhi High Court will on January 7 hear bail pleas of student activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and other accused in the UAPA case related to February, 2020 violence.

Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur are scheduled to hear the cases.

Delhi Police is likely to commence its submissions in the cases.

Khalid, Imam and others were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the IPC for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the February 2020 riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

The violence erupted during the protests against the CAA and NRC. (PTI)

The Election Commission will on Tuesday announce the schedule for polls to the Delhi Legislative Assembly.

The Commission has convened a press conference at 2 pm on Tuesday to announce the election schedule. The term of the 70-member Assembly ends on February 23, and elections have to held before that to constitute a new House.

Delhi has traditionally seen assembly polls in a single phase.