
NEW DELHI: AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday “congratulated” BJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri, saying that it has been learnt that Bidhuri may be considered as the BJP’s candidate for Delhi’s top post and called for a public debate between him and the former MP.
Kejriwal stated, “The Delhi elections are approaching. During elections, everyone wants to know who the chief ministerial candidate from each party is. From the Aam Aadmi Party’s side, this has been clear from the beginning. The entire party had decided unanimously that I, Arvind Kejriwal, would be the chief ministerial candidate.”
He said that, as for the BJP, it was not clear who their candidate would be. “Yesterday (Friday), their Central Election Committee (CEC) held a meeting. According to sources, it has been learned that the BJP may have decided in that meeting to nominate Ramesh Bidhuri as their CM face. It is being said, as per sources, that an official announcement about Bidhuri’s name will be made within a day or two.”
He added, “Once his candidacy is officially announced, I propose that to strengthen democracy, there should be a public debate between the Aam Aadmi Party’s candidate and the BJP’s candidate, Bidhuri, in front of the people of Delhi, the nation, and the media. In this debate, people can assess who to vote for, based on what each has accomplished, their visions, and their plans for Delhi.”
He said that the party will wait for former South Delhi MP Bidhuri’s official announcement, likely in a day or two, and then it will see what happens next. “Ultimately, the people will decide who is right and who is wrong,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva has said the press conference done by the AAP leader in which he said that he is his party’s CM candidate and that Bidhuri might be BJP’s CM candidate citing his informed sources is totally a “cooked up” story. Kejriwal should note that BJP’s CM face will be decided by party MLAs and national leadership, Sachdeva emphasised.
“Kejriwal has sought to cite unknown sources to claim that Shri Bidhuri might be our CM face, but...he can’t ever be sworn in as CM in view of Supreme Court bindings. All BJP candidates for Delhi assembly are CM candidates. The BJP is a thoroughly democratic party where elected MLAs elect their party leader who lays claim to be CM of the city,” Sachdeva added.