The night before Lok Sabha elections: Delhi L-G and AAP accuse each other of moves to trouble voters, hit polls

Replying to this, Kejriwal, in a post on X at 10.18 pm, said, “This is shocking. EC should ensure smooth voting in Delhi.”

Following these posts, the Lt Governor’s office, in a statement issued shortly before 11 pm, said that the AAP had drawn up plans to trouble voters on Saturday and blame it on the Centre.

This is shocking. EC shud ensure smooth voting in Delhi. https://t.co/tsZIARD7Gp

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 24, 2024

“Information has been received that on the orders of Arvind Kejriwal, who is out on interim bail till June 1, power and water minister Atishi Marlena has instructed the power companies and Delhi Jal Board to deliberately cut power supply and stop water supply tonight (May 24) and throughout the day tomorrow (May 25) so that the people of Delhi are troubled,” the Lt Governor’s office stated.

“The LG has directed that these orders of Kejriwal should not be followed. Information has also been received that Kejriwal is doing this so that he can habitually confuse and cheat the people of Delhi by blaming the Central government,” it stated.

Later, in a post on X at 12.27 am Saturday, the Lt Governor called Atishi’s statement unwarranted and false.

“You have made it a habit, Kejriwal sahab, to keep crying irrespective of the situation you may be in. I have taken a stern view of this unwarranted & false statement on the eve of election against a constitutional authority by a Minister, endorsed by you,” Saxena wrote.

Earlier, in a press release issued around 6.30 pm, the Delhi Jal Board said that the water utility was poised to fulfil the needs of all residents.

There has been a tussle between the AAP government and the Lt Governor’s office over water supply in the city.

In April, Atishi wrote to the Lt Governor, seeking the suspension of the DJB CEO after a woman was killed in East Delhi, allegedly by her neighbour during an altercation over water filling.

In response, Saxena wrote an open letter to Kejriwal – the CM was in jail following his arrest in the Delhi excise policy case – describing the murder as the government’s failure and slamming Atishi for using the incident for “narrow political goals”.