New Delhi: A day after its humiliating defeat in the municipal corporation elections in the national capital, Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday urged newly elected councillors to not be swayed by the money that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may offer them.
“The place that you are going to is the hub of corruption. There is no anti-defection law in municipal bodies. BJP will make every effort to break you. You should keep your phone always on recording,” Kejriwal warned the councillors.
In his address, Kejriwal urged the councillors to listen to the volunteers because the latter played a role in their victory and made them take an oath that they will not betray the party.
“It is a very sacred movement (against corruption). People will offer you money to leave the party but remember that if you betray the movement, party and people’s expectation, you will not be satisfied with that money,” he said.
To introspect on the loss, Kejriwal held two meetings with the newly elected councillors and sitting members of the legislative assembly (MLAs). The party has decided to go back to the ground to assess the loss in the municipal polls.
Meanwhile, the spate of resignations continued. Sanjay Singh, who was in charge of Punjab, quit his position along with co-convener Durgesh Pathak. The party appointed cabinet minister Gopal Rai as president of the Delhi unit after Dilip Pandey resigned on Wednesday.
The party continued to blame faulty electronic voting machines (EVMs) for its loss, which was criticised by senior members of the party including Bhagwant Mann. The party had raised similar allegations after the loss in Punjab and Goa.
“Many MLAs raised concern that it could not be only because of EVMs. There has to be more research on this and EVMs could play a big role. An MLA like me, I am not ready to believe that there was a BJP wave in my constituency,” Alka Rai, an AAP MLA whose resignation was turned down, said.
The BJP managed a clear majority, winning 181 seats across the three municipal corporations in Delhi. The AAP secured second position with 48 seats while the Congress came third with 30 seats.
The drubbing in the civic polls comes close on the heels of AAP’s defeat in the recent assembly bypoll in Delhi’s Rajouri Garden.