Kejriwal demands inclusion of Delhi's Jat community in Central OBC list; asserts contesting polls from New Delhi
New Delhi: Quashing BJP leaders' claims that he would contest the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections from a second seat out of fear of losing from New Delhi, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said he will contest the polls from one seat only. Kejriwal also asserted that the Assembly polls are not an INDA bloc affair as there is a direct contest between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi. A three-time sitting MLA from New Delhi since 2013, Kejriwal this time is locked in an intense triangular contest against the sons of two former chief ministers of Delhi. While the BJP has fielded former chief minister Sahib Singh Verma's son Parvesh Verma, Congress has given ticket to Sandeep Dikshit whose mother Sheila Dikshit was a three-term chief minister of Delhi. "I am contesting one seat only," Kejriwal said at a press conference when asked about BJP's claims that he was going to fight from a second seat out of fear of losing from New Delhi.
The AAP leader's clarification came after BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya claimed in a post on X that fearing his imminent defeat from New Delhi, Kejriwal is making "baseless allegations" about voter list in his constituency and "talking" about contesting from two seats. The AAP leaders have accused the BJP of filing applications in bulk from different constituencies, including New Delhi, for the deletion of thousands of AAP supporters' names from the electoral roll. At the presser, Kejriwal said a meeting of AAP leaders with officials of the Election Commission is due Thursday evening, in which all the issues, including deletion of voters' names, will be discussed. The AAP supremo also thanked INDIA bloc members, including the Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), for extending support to AAP for the Assembly elections. The Congress, which leads the anti-BJP INDIA bloc, is going solo in the Delhi polls and has so far announced names of 48 candidates. The 70-member Delhi Assembly will go to polls on February 5. The results will be out on February 8.
As Assembly elections draw closer in Delhi, AAP convenor and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday accused the BJP-led Central government of reneging on its promise to provide reservation to the capital's Jat community.
Speaking at a press conference, Kejriwal said he wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding the inclusion of Delhi's Jat community in the Central OBC list.
He also accused the Centre of misleading the community for the past decade, and failing to deliver on its promises.
"In 2015, the BJP invited Jat leaders to the prime minister's residence and assured them that Delhi's Jat community would be included in the Central OBC list. Union Home Minister Amit Shah promised the same in 2019. However, nothing has been done to fulfil these promises," Kejriwal said. Drawing comparisons, he questioned why Jat students from Rajasthan benefit from reservations in Delhi University (DU), while Jat students from Delhi are denied the same. "Thousands of children from the Jat community in Delhi are unable to secure admission in DU because they are not part of the Central OBC list," he said. Kejriwal also alleged that despite Delhi's Jats being recognised under the OBC category in the state, the Central government has refused to extend the benefits to them.
"This is nothing but betrayal. The Centre must include Delhi's Jat community in the OBC list to ensure they receive reservations in Central government institutions, including for jobs and college admissions," the AAP supremo said. Central agencies like the MCD, DDA, and PWD operate extensively in Delhi, and including Jats in the OBC list would open up significant opportunities for them, Kejriwal said, as he vowed to continue the fight until the community's demands are met. The 70-member Delhi Assembly will go to polls on February 5. The results will be out on February 8.
