New Delhi, 18 April 2024
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidates, on Thursday, filed the nomination for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor elections in Delhi Municipal Corporation. On behalf of the AAP, Mahesh Khichi filed nomination for the post of Mayor and Ravinder Bhardwaj for the post of Deputy Mayor. Congratulating both the candidates, senior AAP leader Ms. Atishi said that both these candidates are grassroots leaders. The AAP not only recognizes its workers working on the ground, but also gives them opportunities to move forward. Mahesh Kumar Khichi (aged 45) and Ravinder Bhardwaj (aged 35) are recent examples of this. On the possibility of BJP causing irregularities in the Mayor and Deputy Mayor elections, senior AAP leader Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj said that only a few months ago, the BJP was caught red-handed in the Chandigarh Mayoral elections, counting the votes dishonestly. We have full hope that BJP will not dare to commit similar dishonesty in the MCD Mayor and Deputy Mayor elections, he said.
AAP Senior leader and Delhi Cabinet Minister Ms. Atishi said, “Our mayor and Deputy Mayor candidates have been grassroots workers of the party. Today, Mahesh Kumar becoming the mayor and Ravinder Bhardwaj becoming the deputy mayor shows how AAP recognizes its workers and those who work on the ground…The BJP leaves no stone unturned to create disturbance and mischief in elections but I hope they will respect the mandate of the people of Delhi and will not try to take any wrong action.”
She also added that the INDIA Alliance will contest the elections together and the councillors from Congress Party will support the candidates fielded by the Aam Aadmi Party for the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor in the MCD elections.
Senior AAP leader and Delhi Cabinet Minister, Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “The Aam Aadmi Party is in majority in the MCD. The people of Delhi have chosen the AAP. Today, the party has sent Shri Mahesh Kumar’s name as Mayor candidate and Shri Ravinder Bhardwaj’s name for Deputy Mayor position for nomination. We hope that our candidates will do a good job of cleanliness in Delhi.”
On being asked if the party speculates that the BJP will again try to manipulate the Mayoral elections like they did in the Chandigarh Mayoral elections, Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “The way the Supreme Court had caught the BJP red-handed in the Chandigarh Mayoral elections, I believe the BJP will not dare to repeat such a mistake in the MCD Mayoral elections.” He added that the senior AAP leader also stated that the INDIA Alliance will thoroughly support the AAP candidates in the Mayoral elections.
AAP Candidate Shri Mahesh Khichi from the Aam Aadmi Party filed nomination papers for the post of Mayor on Thursday. Thanking the Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal, he said that the top leadership of the party has shown such great faith in a small worker like me. I joined politics during the Anna movement and was a booth worker in the Aam Aadmi Party. After that, the party made me the Ward President and now, they have chosen me as the candidate for the post of Mayor of Delhi Municipal Corporation. I will diligently work for the welfare of the people of Delhi with complete honesty and dedication. If we work with true hard work and dedication, we will be able to face every challenge. We will work with utmost sincerity to take Delhi forward. He said that this time the standing committee of MCD will be elected.
At the same time, Deputy Mayor candidate Shri Ravinder Bhardwaj said that the Aam Aadmi Party has given the responsibility of Deputy Mayor of Delhi to a common worker who rose from the booth. “For this I thank the CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal and the top leadership of the party. The MCD will work dedicatedly to carry forward the vision of CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal. We will work with full team spirit to make Delhi the most beautiful and the healthiest city in the world. We will put all the necessary efforts to eliminate the mountain of garbage by the end of this year. Garbage is being continuously removed from the garbage mountains and now its height has reduced to a great extent. In the coming days, the garbage removal process will increase further,” he said.
BJP’s conspiracy to topple Kejriwal government will fail: Saurabh Bharadwaj
Answering the media’s question, Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj said that for the last few years, a witch-hunt is going on agaonst the AAP leaders and MLAs. Raids are being conducted on the houses of the Aam Aadmi Party ministers and MLAs. In the last few days, raids were conducted at the homes of many MLAs. We think that some more MLAs will be arrested under the same conspiracy. Various efforts are being made to somehow break the Aam Aadmi Party and to topple the Delhi government. These efforts of BJP will not succeed.
Sunita Kejriwal will attend INDIA Alliance’s Megarally in Jharkhand: Saurabh Bharadwaj
Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj said that there will be a mega rally of the INDIA Alliance in Ranchi, Jharkhand on 21st April. All the big leaders of INDIA Alliance are coming to this mega rally. Punjab CM Sardar Bhagwant Mann, Smt. Sunita Kejriwal, and MP Shri Sanjay Singh will participate in this rally on behalf of the Aam Aadmi Party. Just as the ED arrested CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal, in the same way the sitting Chief Minister of Jharkhand Shri Hemant Soren was arrested by the ED without any evidence. Due to this, the people of Jharkhand are angry with the BJP. When all the leaders of INDIA Alliance will stand with Shri Hemant Soren through the rally, a big atmosphere will be created against the BJP in Jharkhand.
