Delhi Assembly elections: Arvind Kejriwal advances rallies as poll code comes into force

NEW DELHI: With the Model Code of Conduct for Delhi Assembly elections coming into force in the evening, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal today advanced his two scheduled rallies in the capital, where he launched an attack on the BJP and tried to convince the voters that if elected he would not quit the government again.

After reports that the Election Commission would announce the poll schedule for Delhi later in the day, AAP pre-poned its rally in Najafgarh by 30 minutes to 3 PM and the one in Rajouri Garden to 4.15 PM.

"We pre-poned the Najafgarh rally to 3 PM, started the Rajouri Garden rally at 4.15 PM and finished it just before EC ended its press conference to escape the Model Code," said a party source.

Addressing the rallies in Najafgarh and Rajouri Garden Assembly constituencies in West Delhi, the AAP leader did not launch a direct attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi but stuck to his regular tune that he will "not commit the mistake of quitting again."

He slammed the Modi government for price hike and failing to fulfilling the promises it made to the people.

Kejriwal addressed the first rally in Najafgarh after completing a fund-raising event for Bijwasan candidate Col Devendra Sehrawat. He then headed to Rajouri Garden to canvas support for the party candidate from Rajouri Garden.

"I resigned because the Congress did not allow me to work. They would meddle in every affairs... They did not even allow a single law to be passed.

"But I made a mistake. I did not know that the BJP and the Congress will not let elections to take place (by not dissolving the Legislative Assembly). I should not have resigned before asking you people and you all got upset. This time I assure you that I will not quit and rule for five years," Kejriwal said.

Today's meeting was the AAP chief's first after Modi's rally. The AAP, on social media, too tried to portray the rallies as mega success and even compared them with Modi's Ramlila Maidan rally.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched a scathing attack on "anarchist" AAP, asking people to punish Kejriwal for "wasting" one year.