Delhi Assembly Elections 2025: Arvind Kejriwal criticises Gujarat Police presence in polls, BJP slams AAP convenor

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday targeted Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning the Election Commission’s decision to replace the Punjab Police with the Gujarat Police in the national capital. Kejriwal took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to share an order copy, writing: "Read this order from Gujarat Police. The Election Commission has removed the Punjab Police from Delhi and deployed the Gujarat Police. What is going on?"

Responding sharply, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya dismissed Kejriwal's concerns, suggesting nervousness about the upcoming election. Malviya clarified that deploying police forces from multiple states alongside the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) is a standard procedure during elections.

“For the Delhi elections, police forces from 12 states and union territories, including Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, among others, have been mobilized,” Malviya stated. He further pointed out that Punjab Police had also been withdrawn from Kejriwal’s security, emphasizing: “You and Delhi are not synonymous.”

The Gujarat Home Minister, Harsh Sanghavi, also joined the debate, accusing Kejriwal of spreading misinformation. Sanghavi stated: “As a former Chief Minister, you should be aware of Election Commission norms. Forces have been deployed from various states, not just Gujarat. The EC requested 8 companies of the State Reserve Police (SRP) from Gujarat for election duty in Delhi on January 11, 2025. Why single out Gujarat, Kejriwal ji?”

The Delhi Assembly elections are scheduled for February 5, with vote counting set for February 8. The AAP, aiming for a third consecutive term, faces a strong challenge from a revitalized BJP. Meanwhile, the Congress, which struggled in the last election, hopes to improve its performance this time.

The exchange highlights the growing political tensions as parties gear up for the high-stakes Delhi Assembly elections.