Delhi polls: Battle begins for Delhi, thousands throng AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal's roadshow

NEW DELHI: The day belonged to Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal who first led a packed roadshow and then put BJP’s CM candidates Kiran Bedi on the backfoot by challenging her to a debate. Thousands thronged the roadshow on Tuesday, leading to delay in his filing nomination from New Delhi assembly seat as he could not reach the district magistrate’s office on time.

The former Delhi CM will now file his papers on Wednesday. Kejriwal, atop a mini truck along with Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, kick-started the rally from Valmiki Sadan where PM Narendra Modi launched his Swachh Bharat campaign in October 2014.

Kejriwal’s parents were along with him during the roadshow. As the show progressed, the crowds swelled, affecting road traffic in central Delhi.

In New Delhi constituency, his main opponents are Congress’ Kiran Walia and BJP’s Nupur Sharma.

On a day when BJP’s CM candidate Kiran Bedi announced she would file her nomination from East Delhi’s Krishna Nagar, Kejriwal launched verbal salvos against her at a public meeting in the BJP bastion.

“BJP won in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand, but in Delhi they are unable to breakthrough (unki saans atak gayi), so when they failed to make much headway despite getting ministers, MPs and PM Modi, the BJP got Kiran Bedi to pin down blame on her once they lose elections,” Kejriwal said at the meeting held late Tuesday.

“I heard Bediji say on TV that power bills are not an issue. Does she know anything about Delhi? Does she go on the streets and talk to people to know...?” he asked rhetorically.

Instead of responding to Kejriwal’s challenge at a public debate, Bedi met party workers in Krishna Nagar and announced that she intended to file nomination on Wednesday.