NEW DELHI: Mange Dilli dil se, Kejriwal phir se (Delhi hopes Kejriwal wins once again) was the slogan that reverberated through the streets of the capital city on Tuesday.
The AAP’s day started with a “nomination rally” road show headed by party chief Arvind Kejriwal and ended in a Jan Sabha (public meeting) at Krishna Nagar, BJP chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi’s constituency.
However, the main agenda of the rally -- filing nomination papers -- remained unfinished as the excited crowd that had thronged to meet the former IRS officer unwittingly stopped him from reaching the District Magistrate’s office in time.
The AAP chief will file his papers on Wednesday, the last day for doing so to contest in the 2015 Assembly elections. The roadshow took off from Valmiki Mandir at 11 am. Kejriwal reached the spot with his mother and daughter and offered prayers before leading the huge procession. “Delhiites will script history by giving AAP the single largest majority as they want to convert those 49-days of good governance into five years... The BJP is a machine of lies and rumours,” Kejriwal said. Surrounded by a spirited crowd of his workers and supporters holding brooms (party symbol), Kejriwal addressed from an open truck tracing a five-km route. Accompanying him were party leaders Manish Sisodia, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh, Somnath Bharti and star campaigner of the party and MP from Punjab Bhagwant Mann.
The cheering crowd began the rally from the spot at which PM Modi had commenced his Clean India Campaign on October 2 last. The roadshow culminated at the General Post Office at 2.30 pm. Kejriwal had to reach the District Magistrate’s office at Jamnagar House near India Gate by 3 pm to file his papers, but he failed to make it.
His critics, however described the failure to file papers as “another dubious distinction” in the report card of the “Bhagauda Mukhyamantri”.
“We have exceeded the time limit to file the nomination. I will file my nomination tomorrow,” Kejriwal said.