AAP accuses BJP of 'Operation Lotus' to erase its voters from rolls

On Sunday, Kejriwal accused the BJP of getting names of voters in Delhi struck off the voters’ list in a desperate attempt to win the elections. The BJP has rubbished the allegation, asserting that the AAP had added fake voters to the electoral roll in a bid to bolster its support, media reports said.

Addressing the media, AAP's national convener and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the BJP lacked both vision and candidates for the Delhi election.

"BJP wants to win this election somehow by using dishonest means. But the people of Delhi won't let this happen. We won't let them win by using the tactics they are said to have used in Maharashtra and Haryana," he said, reported NDTV.

On Saturday, Kejriwal had said the BJP and Congress were working to stop the welfare schemes for the women and the elderly and the BJP would render Delhi unliveable if it came to power.

Kejriwal claimed that the BJP had approached the Election Commission for the removal of over 11,000 voters in Shahdara Assembly segment, where the AAP had won with a margin of 5,000 votes in the last assembly polls.

“If these 11,000 names were struck off, there would be no chance for a win this time. But they were caught red-handed and those names were not deleted. We are thankful to the Chief Election Officer for stopping this," he said, according to the report.

He claimed that the BJP had launched ‘Operation Lotus’ in the New Delhi assembly constituency, which he represents, filing applications to remove 5,000 names and add 7,500 names to the electoral list in a matter of 15 days.

“The total votes in my constituency 1 lakh 6 thousand. What is the point of holding an election then? A game is playing out in the name of election," he said.

AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal criticised the BJP's claim of a 12 percent voter list discrepancy, questioning whether the Election Commission's October 29 summary revision was flawed.

He also alleged that around 10 individuals had submitted most deletion applications and demanded to know their affiliations and motives, adding that these applicants might be acting on orders.

Arvind Kejriwal claimed that verification of deletion applications revealed 408 out of 500 names belonged to genuine voters residing at the same addresses for decades, accusing the BJP of depriving citizens of their voting rights. He further alleged that the BJP intends to register outsiders as Delhi voters.

Kejriwal urged government officers to resist illegal orders, warning them of future repercussions, as their signatures on official documents would remain on record even if the government changes.

"I want to tell the officers, you will be pressured to commit wrong acts but remember, you will sign the papers and these signatures will stay. Today or tomorrow, the government will change, but the files and signatures will stay. Work as per law, you will be in trouble. The ones who are giving the orders would escape," he said, according to the report.

Kejriwal said the BJP was trying every possible trick because it is set to lose the Delhi polls. "They have started using three tactics from December 15: first is to get AAP voters' names struck off, the second is adding fake voters and the third is distributing cash to buy votes."

The AAP leader appealed to voters in Delhi to keep checking their names on voter lists. He has also written to the poll body regarding this.

Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP of resorting to desperate measures, alleging that the party is using three tactics to influence the upcoming Delhi polls: removing AAP supporters from voter lists, adding fake voters, and distributing cash to buy votes.

He urged Delhi voters to regularly verify their names on voter lists and mentioned writing to the Election Commission to address these concerns.