News Analysis India

Tag: Election campaign

  • Arvind Kejriwal: Kejriwal hugs children, touches parents’ feet before surrendering at Tihar jail after bail ends

    Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his family bid adieu to each other on Sunday before he left the CM’s residence to surrender at Tihar jail after his interim bail in the excise policy case ended on June 1. Kejriwal hugged his children and touched his parents’ feet before leaving in a car for a scheduled visit to the Rajghat and the Hanuman temple at Connaught Place. He waved a final goodbye to his parents before his car sped alongside a long trail of vehicles carrying AAP leaders who accompanied the chief minister for his surrender. Kejriwal’s wife Sunita, son Pulkit and daughter Harshita also accompanied him for his surrender. Sharing visuals of the family’s last moments together, the AAP wrote in a post on X, “Bharat Mata’s brave son Arvind Kejriwal ji took blessings from his parents and hugged his children before going to jail to save democracy. Kejriwal will not bow down to dictatorship.” AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther States In another post, the party wrote, “It is this feeling that scares the dictator. With a smile on his face, Delhi CM Kejriwal headed towards Rajghat to pay homage to father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Today, Kejriwal ji will go to jail in this fight to save democracy.” In a display of unity and support, Kejriwal’s family and AAP leaders accompanied the chief minister as he paid homage at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial at the Rajghat and offered prayers at the Hanuman temple in Connaught Place. PTI

    **EDS: VIDEO GRAB VIA @AamAadmiParty** New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal hugs his son as he leaves from his residence, ahead of his surrender before Tihar jail authorities, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)(

    Kejriwal later addressed a large gathering of workers and leaders of the AAP before leaving for Tihar jail. AAP leaders, including Atishi, Kailash Gahlot and Saurabh Bharadwaj, Rajya Sabha MPs Sanjay Singh and Sandeep Pathak, and party leaders Durgesh Pathak, Rakhi Birla and Reena Gupta were also present.

    Patriotic songs and slogans of “Kejriwal Zindabaad” filled the air at the party headquarters.

    Addressing the gathering, Kejriwal said, “I am going back to jail not because I was involved in corruption but because I raised voice against dictatorship… I campaigned for the Lok Sabha polls to save the country.”

    Kejriwal said that the BJP will not form the next government at the Centre, saying the exit polls were “fake” and “mind games” by the BJP.

    Several exit polls, which were aired on Saturday evening, predicated a comfortable majority for the BJP-led NDA. Counting of votes for the Lok Sabha polls will be held on Tuesday.

    The address at the party headquarters was summed up with the national anthem and Kejriwal left for Tihar amid a sea of Indian flags.

    Minutes before the chief minister’s surrender, security arrangements were beefed up at Tihar jail with heavy police deployment. Traffic was also restricted in the area.

    The chief minister surrendered to the Tihar authorities after 21 days of bail granted by the Supreme Court for the election campaign.

    He was released from prison on May 10 on an interim bail granted by the apex court in the excise policy-linked money laundering case.

    The bail expired on June 1, the day the seventh and last phase of the general elections was held.

  • Arvind Kejriwal: “If a dacoit gets bail, then there is no point in celebrating”: BJP’s Agnimitra Paul on interim bail to Arvind Kejriwal

    Slamming the Aam Aadmi Party for “celebrating” the Supreme Court’s granting of interim bail to its leader, Arvind Kejriwal, Agnimitra Paul, the BJP MLA from Asansol in West Bengal, said, “If a dacoit gets bail, then there is no point in celebrating.”

    “If a dacoit gets bail, then there is no point in celebrating. He is a hypocrite who once said that he was against misgovernance, but now he has become the face of misgovernance. Whoever has looted the public money has to go to jail,” Paul told ANI.

    Kejriwal was released from jail after spending over 50 days following his arrest by the Directorate of Enforcement on March 21 in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. He has been granted interim bail till June 1 with conditions that he shall not visit the Office of the Chief Minister or the Delhi Secretariat.Opposition parties across the country welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that the CM has not been proven “innocent”.AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther StatesCongress Lok Sabha candidate from North-East Delhi, Kanhaiya Kumar, said on Friday that the Supreme Court’s granting of interim bail to Kejriwal is a befitting reply to those who want to impose dictatorship in the country.”I would like to congratulate the entire country because Arvind Kejriwal has been given bail by the Supreme Court. This is a befitting reply to those who want to impose dictatorship in the country,” Kumar told reporters here. “Democracy will prevail in the country, and INDIA alliance will continue its fight against the NDA. People want change in the country as well as Delhi,” he added.CM Kejriwal received a warm welcome from supporters as well as his family members on returning from prison.

    “I had promised to come back soon, here I am,” Kejriwal said while addressing supporters enroute his residence from jail.

    The Chief Minister is also scheduled to meet the press on Saturday at 1 pm at the Aam Aadmi Party office in Delhi.

    AAP leaders including Gopal Rai, Atishi, Saurabh Bhardwaj, Swati Maliwal and Kailash Gehlot thanked the top court for granting interim bail to the party chief.

    Delhi Minister and AAP leader Gopal Rai said, “There is a wave of happiness in the entire country. SC’s decision has shown a ray of hope. The entire country is thankful to the SC. The fight against dictatorship and to save democracy and constitution will be strengthened after the release of Arvind Kejriwal.”

    Delhi Minister and AAP leader Atishi called it a “historic day” and said that it is a victory for democracy and the Constitution. “It is a historic day, not just for AAP but the entire country. BJP has left no stone unturned to turn it into a dictatorial country…SC’s decision has given hope to the people that there will be an end to this dictatorship. It is a win of the democracy & constitution,” Atishi said.

    Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said, “He has been granted bail for the election campaign till June 1 but what after that? Getting interim bail does not mean that you have been proven innocent. It will not affect the elections, BJP will win all 7 seats of Delhi.”

    Supreme Court lawyer Shadan Farasat representing Arvind Kejriwal said that the order is operable till June 2 adding that there are no restrictions on what he can say or not say in his election campaigning.

    Earlier in April this year, AAP MP Sanjay Singh was released on bail from Tihar jail following the top court’s order. Singh was released after spending over six months in jail in connection with the excise policy case.

    The AAP supremo is likely to participate in the election campaigns of the party in the run-up to the general elections in Delhi scheduled to be held on May 25.

  • Himachal CM announces Rs 1,500 per month to women in age group of 18 to 60 years

    Just before the major Lok Sabha polls, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu on Monday announced that women in age group of 18 to 60 years will receive finance assistance from the Congress government worth Rs 1500 every month.

    The announcement of providing financial assistance was one of the poll promises that the grand old party made during its election campaign in the hilly state.

    The political crisis arose in Himachal Pradesh during the recently held polling for the Rajya Sabha elections as nine MLAs, including six Congress rebels and three independents, voted in favour of BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan.CM Sukhu who has been reiterating for the past few days that the government is stable and would complete its five-year-term, on Monday refused to comment on his regime’s stability. When asked the opposition leaders are saying that this government is unstable and will fall soon, Siddhu attempted to divert from the question and told the media to ask this to the BJP leaders.

    Indicating a change in guard, Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur had on Sunday asked the BJP workers to get ready and said that anything can happen in the coming days.

    “It is difficult for the Congress party to stay in power as the political situation in Himachal Pradesh is grim for the Congress, ” he said.High drama was witnessed during the cabinet meeting earlier on Saturday with Revenue Minister Jagat Negi leaving the meeting in between and Education Minister Rohit Thakur also walking out after heated arguments.The two ministers, however, later maintained that they had their engagements and Thakur returned after being pacified by Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri.

    The political crisis arose in Himachal Pradesh during the recently held polling for the Rajya Sabha elections as nine MLAs, including six Congress rebels and three independents, voted in favour of BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan.

    (More to come)