Delhi Chief Minister and leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Arvind Kejriwal, strongly criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regarding the Chandigarh mayoral election held recently, drawing a parallel between the BJP's tactics and those employed by former US President Donald Trump.
In an exclusive interview, Kejriwal asserted, "Even in the event of electoral defeat, they won't relinquish power akin to the actions of Donald Trump, persisting regardless of the imposition of martial law." He expressed concern over the alleged election malpractices, highlighting the BJP's approach in Chandigarh as reminiscent of Trump's refusal to accept electoral outcomes.
The controversy arose amidst allegations of election fraud, with AAP and the Congress, in alliance for the mayoral polls, releasing a video purportedly showing the Presiding Officer engaging in ballot paper manipulation. This footage emerged subsequent to BJP candidate Manoj Kumar Sonkar's victory in the mayoral election, wherein eight votes from the INDIA bloc candidates were invalidated. Sonkar secured 16 votes out of the 36 total polled votes, while INDIA bloc candidate Kuldeep Singh garnered 12 votes after the exclusion of the disqualified ballots.
Kejriwal highlighted the Chandigarh administration's last-minute order prohibiting media entry on the eve of the election, suggesting foul play. He emphasized the unprecedentedly high number of invalidated votes, insinuating electoral interference.
Expressing apprehension regarding future elections, Kejriwal speculated on potential Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) manipulation and voter list tampering during the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. He underscored the need for vigilant opposition against such malpractices, urging collective action to prevent their recurrence.
