Maken's 'style' has not helped; Congress was demoralised: Sheila Dikshit

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Sheila Dikshit on Thursday said she 'pitied' Ajay Maken, who was the party's chief ministerial candidate for the recently held Delhi assembly polls, adding that his 'style' had not helped the grand old party.

"The signals that went from the Congress party did not inspire confidence. Although we didn't realise that we won't get even a single seat, it was clear from the beginning that we would lose badly. What can I say about Ajay Maken, except that I pity him," Dikshit told ANI. "He got the leadership and he took it... but quite obviously his style did not help the Congress,".

Spelling out the party's weaknesses, the former Delhi chief minister stated that the campaign by the Congress should have been aggressive.

"Ajay Maken was the chairman of the campaign committee; the campaign should have been aggressive. There was lack in our strategy, maybe in totality the Congress party was demoralised," Dikshit said.

"It is now Arvind Kejriwal's duty to fulfil all the 70 promises that he made," she added.

In an unprecedented first for the national capital, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party received 67 seats out of the 70 on offer in the Delhi polls. With this extraordinary mandate, the AAP has become the first non-Congress and non-BJP party to rule the city.

The Congress, which in power in Delhi for 15 years up to 2013 and had been trying to rebuild its lost ground in the city, failed to even open its account in the polls.

The BJP, which was relying heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity and had brought in former IPS officer Kiran Bedi as its chief ministerial candidate to counter Kejriwal, also managed to secure just three seats. 

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Kiran Bedi seeks probe by EC into the fatwa by Bukhari to support AAP

New Delhi: Kiran Bedi on Wednesday appeared to blame a "fatwa" by Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari, appealing Muslims to support AAP, for her defeat in BJP's traditional stronghold of Krishna Nagar in East Delhi and sought a probe into it by the Election Commission.

She said the Election Commission should inquire the issue to know whether the Shahi Imam's appeal to Muslims a day before the polls had any impact on the electoral outcome.

"I want the Election Commission to inquire this. (Then only) it will be clearly known whether fatwa had an impact on the voters or not," she said.

Bedi claimed that though she was leading in the vote count, her vote share started dropping when counting of votes in a Muslim-dominated area of her constituency was taken up.

"I was told that during the vote count in Krishna Nagar, I was leading but when the counting of votes of the area, where fatwa might have an impact, was carried out, it started to drop," Bedi said, adding "I lost by 2000 votes when the counting reached that area."

A day ahead of the polls on February 7, Bukhari appealed to Muslims to vote for AAP but the party promptly rejected the offer. Though it was an appeal by Bukhari, several BJP leaders called it "fatwa".

Bedi said a "complete study" should be done whether there was an impact of the "fatwa" on the freedom of choice in voting.

"Fatwa means a diktat, a directive, it also means a hukumnama in a way. EC should examine whether fatwas issued last minute before the elections are good for democratic process or not," added Bedi.

AAP's S K Bagga defeated Bedi by a margin of 2,277 votes in Krishna Nagar which had stood by BJP even during the 15 years of Congress rule under Sheila Dikshit.

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Kiran Bedi staunchly denies BJP's defeat in Delhi polls, says wait for results

New Delhi: A day after the Assembly polls, BJP's Delhi chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi on Sunday staunchly denied that her party was facing first election defeat since storming to power last year, even though exit polls tipped Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to win Delhi elections.

“A survey is just a survey, we should wait for the 10th for the final result,” Bedi told the media.

As exit polls suggested the loss of face for BJP, Kiran Bedi said that she will claim responsibility for either loss or win in Delhi. “I am a person who always takes responsibility,” Bedi reiterate, ANI reported.

Yesterday, Bedi had said, “I will take full responsibility for results of Delhi.”

Exit polls released hours after voting ended yesterday indicated the AAP of former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had comfortably beaten BJP.

However, Bedi had said that she would wait for results to be declared on Tuesday.

Kiran Bedi, 65, a former top cop, joined the BJP and politics last month and within four days was named the party's presumptive chief minister of Delhi.

The annointment of Bedi as the CM candiadate was considered as a masterstroke to counter Arvind Kejriwal.

But, if exit poll results turn true, victory for Kejriwal would mark a stunning comeback for the anti-graft champion who resigned following a chaotic 49-day spell in charge of the Delhi state government a year ago.

However, observers say a defeat for BJP will be a significant setback for a Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has enjoyed an extended honeymoon with voters since his landslide General Election victory.

PM Modi needs to win state elections in coming years to gain control of both houses of the national parliament, where he is attempting to push through reforms on land acquisition, tax and other issues to revive the economy.

All seven exit polls predicted another humiliating loss for the Congress party.

After being thumped at the General Election, Congress is expected to win just two seats, according to an average of the polls.

Most political pundits had written off Kejriwal after he resigned as chief minister, in part over failed attempts to get an anti-corruption bill passed in the assembly.

Notably, Kejriwal famously declared himself an 'anarchist' during his brief tenure last year and staged several street protests outside government offices.

But after apologising for leaving voters without an elected government for a year, Kejriwal was the star of the campaign, outshining former top cop Kiran Bedi who was the BJP`s pick for chief minister.

Kejriwal`s campaign has been based around promises of lower utility bills and free Wi-Fi for Delhi`s 17 million residents, as well as pledges to counter corruption.

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RSS journal admits: Worried BJP chose Bedi after adverse feedback from field: indianexpress

An article in the RSS mouthpiece Organiser has said that the BJP is not “in a comfortable ground at present” in Delhi, and that the party had inducted Kiran Bedi and projected her as candidate for chief minister after receiving “adverse feedback from field against the Delhi BJP”.

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Feel sorry for Kiran Bedi, BJP has 'gagged' its CM candidate: Kejriwal

New Delhi: Exuding confidence that his party will come to power in Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday the BJP had pressed the "panic button" and was now resorting to "politics of poison" to avoid a defeat.

Five days ahead of the voting to the 70-member Delhi assembly, Kejriwal predicted that the Congress will not win even a single seat which will obviate the need for him to take that party's support as he had done in 2013 to form his short-lived 49-day government.

The significance of election in Delhi went far beyond its borders and that was why the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was fielding its "big guns" for the campaigning, the former Delhi chief minister told PTI in an interview.

"They have pressed the panic button and that is why you see all these big guns campaigning for the party," he said, and accused them of resorting to personal attacks against him, his family and the community he belongs to. "This shows their (BJP's) desperation and frustration."

Referring to an attack on a South Delhi church Monday morning, he said this was in keeping with the pattern adopted by the BJP in Uttar Pradesh where the electorate was polarised at the time of last year's Lok Sabha elections and bypolls.

"This is what is the politics of BJP. They will try to polarise the society... We do politics of love and affection and they (BJP) do politics of poison," he said.

Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's argument that it would be good to have a BJP government in Delhi which will work in tandem with BJP-led government at the Centre, he said he would work with Modi in a "constructive" spirit if his party comes to power.

On his rival chief ministerial candidate BJP's Kiran Bedi, with whom he worked closely during Anna Hazare's anti-graft agitation, Kejriwal said if she becomes chief minister, she will be like Manmohan Singh in the Congress party without a voice.

He also said that the former IPS officer was fit for police and not for chief minister's post. Kejriwal said he was sorry for Bedi as she has been "gagged" by the BJP.

Emphasising that it was "lives of Delhiites" who were facing corruption, high prices and issues of security which were at stake in this election, the 46-year-old bureaucrat-turned politician assured that like previous time, his party will reduce power tariff by half and come down hard on bribery.

Asked whether he will again resort to dharna if he becomes chief minister, Kejriwal said, "If need be I will do it again."

"Depending on the requirement of the situation, I will do anything -- discussion, debate or struggle," he said.

On the criticism that both he and Bedi used Hazare's movement as "political launchpad", he said it was for people to see that "one left chief ministership for Lokpal while the other one left Lokpal for chief ministership," in an apparent dig at Bedi.

Kejriwal said there has been a groundswell of support for AAP as people of Delhi want the party to be back at power to address their problems and grievances.

"We are very confident of coming to power. People of Delhi want us to serve them. We have a clear roadmap to make Delhi a truly global city and ensure welfare of all sections of the society," he said.

Asked about number of leaders including Shazia Ilmi leaving the party, Kejriwal said party has become stronger since the last elections as around 30,000 new volunteers have joined it in the last few months.

The former chief minister said if he comes to power, then his government will order through probe into finances of the private power distribution companies and initiate reform in the power sector.

He said enhancing women's security and coming down hard on corruption will be his immediate priorities if he comes to power.

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Kiran Bedi did not consult me before joining BJP: Anna

MUMBAI: A day after his former associate in the agitation for Lokpal Bill, Kiran Bedi, joined BJP,

Anna Hazare today said the former IPS officer did not consult him before joining the party. 

"No," Hazare said at his native place Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar when asked by reporters if Bedi had consulted him before joining BJP.

Asked if Bedi was in touch with him, the anti-corruption activist said she had not been to Ralegan since the last agitation over a year ago and she had not been in touch with him. 

"She did not call me or talk to me before taking the decision to join BJP," Hazare said. 

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Delhi elections: Kiran Bedi joins BJP, to counter Kejriwal

New Delhi: Former Team Anna member Kiran Bedi on Thursday joined BJP and will contest the February 7 Delhi Assembly polls, a move seen as the party's effort to contain Aam Aadmi Party in the national capital. The 65-year old former IPS officer was inducted into the party fold in the presence of BJP President Amit Shah and Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Harsh Vardhan, triggering speculation that she may be in the race for chief ministership if BJP wins the polls. When asked whether she will be the party's chief ministerial candidate, Shah said party's Parliamentary Board will take a call on the issue after election results are out but added that her induction will "hugely strengthen" the Delhi unit.

He also announced that she will contest the polls but declined to answer whether she will be pitted against her former Team Anna colleague Arvind Kejriwal in the prestigious New Delhi constituency. "A decision about her constituency will be taken later." "Bedi's constructive contribution will play an important role in ensuring that BJP lives up to the expectation of the people in the election and in any future government" Shah told a press conference at the party's headquarters. Describing her as an able administrator who has been a crusader while in government and outside it, Jaitley said the party had been in touch with her for sometime and her joining it will make the party stronger. "She has experience in governance and enjoys a credible image. She is associated with certain values. She has been a crusader in government as well as outside it for a long time," he said welcoming her to BJP.

Bedi, in her speech, pitched her leadership credentials and said she knows "how to work and how to make others work". "I joined BJP due to the inspirational leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Delhi needs a strong, clear headed and stable government. We have to make it capital number one in the world," she said. Bedi thanked Modi, saying the PM's "inspirational leadership" has changed crores of Indians including her. "I wanted to sacrifice my entire life to social work. But he inspired me to join political life." However, contrary to expectations, there was no announcement from the BJP on whether actor-turned-politician Jaya Prada and former AAP leader Shazia Ilmi will be joining the party. The party is banking on Jaya Prada's glamour quotient to boost the party's chances, IANS reported, citing unnamed BJP sources.

 A former Samajwadi Party leader, Jaya Prada fought the 2014 Lok Sabha election as a Rashtriya Lok Dal candidate from Bijnor, but she lost. Former AAP legislator Vinod Kumar Binny too is likely to join the saffron party, according to reports. Meanwhile, another former AAP leader, Farhana, said she will be joining the saffron party within the next three days. "Now that the BJP is on the path of development, why should we not extend our help too? We will join the party in the next two to three days," Farhana told ANI. The BJP is likely to release its first list of candidates for Delhi assembly polls soon. The election committee of the BJP will meet in the Capital to discuss strategies for its campaign. The counting of votes in the Delhi elections will take place on February 10. In the last polls in Delhi in 2013, the BJP had bagged 31 seats in addition to one by its ally Shiromani Akali Dal, falling short of a simple majority in the 70-member assembly. The AAP had won in 28 seats and Congress got 8.

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