Delhi polls 2015: Manoj Tiwari campaigns alongside Kiran Bedi

NEW DELHI: Days after he called her a ' thanedaar', BJP MP from North East Delhi, Manoj Tiwari, campaigned for party's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi in Timarpur assembly constituency on Tuesday. Together, they even held a roadshow in the area for local BJP candidate Rajni Abbi.

"I am begging you to make Abbi MLA and Kiran didi CM," the singer-turned politician told supporters. Tiwari had reportedly said that "Delhi needs a leader, not a thanedaar" when Bedi was yet to be officially declared the CM candidate. Speaking to TOI, he explained: "I was never against Bedi. That controversy was created by the media and Aam Aadmi Party used the opportunity to defame me."

Their roadshow, first for the North East parliamentary constituency, was scheduled to begin at 4 pm from Batra Cinema in Mukherjee Nagar but got delayed by about 45 minutes as Bedi arrived late. And after it started, with Bedi, Tiwari and Abbi standing in an open jeep, the roadshow was not managed very well.

Supporters burnt firecrackers every few steps, and due to a poor sound system, Bedi was barely audible. She just kept waving at the crowd and people standing on the rooftops. Tiwari, meanwhile, signed autographs for his fans in the crowd of supporters.

Around 5.30 pm, when the organisers realized they were getting late for a scheduled meeting in other constituency and Bedi needed to hurry, the cavalcade was asked to move fast. The vehicles then gathered speed and went through the Kingsway Camp at around 10-20 km per hour with the supporters and police personnel running behind them.

In the melee, one of the BJP supporters, a relative of the BJP candidate from Timarpur, came under the wheels of the open jeep, injuring his leg badly. "Anjay has suffered injuries in the toes. There is no threat to his life," said Bharat Bhushan, Abbi's husband.

Bedi left the roadshow midway after the incident, heading for Seelampur assembly constituency to address another public meeting. "I got late. I have to reach another venue to address a public meeting," she said. Party workers said about one-fourth of the distance in Timarpur constituency was still to be covered.

Bedi said she was satisfied with the crowd response. "People are greeting from their rooftops and balconies and many have come on the road to extend their support. It is a great show. I am confident that BJP will win an absolute majority in this election. We will make this city world-class as our PM Narendra Modi has envisaged," she said.

The crowds chanted: "Desh Mein Modi, Dilli mein Bedi (Modi for country, Bedi for Delhi)."