Last Updated:
Kejriwal’s claim came days after Punjab Police personnel were removed from former Delhi Chief Minister’s personal security cover, which he claimed was “pure politics”.
Arvind Kejriwal . (PTI)
Another political tussle broke out between Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and BJP after AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal questioned the deployment of eight companies of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) from Gujarat for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections.
The SRPF companies reached Delhi on January 13 as per the order of the Election Commission (EC), Commandant SRPF, Bhachau, Tejas Patel told news agency PTI.
The former CM on Saturday shared a circular issued by the office of the Additional Director General of Police (DGP), Armed Unit, regarding deployment of SRPF for Delhi election.
“Read this order of Gujarat Police. Election Commission has removed Punjab Police from Delhi and deployed Gujarat Police. What is going on?” Kejriwal said in a post on X.
गुजरात पुलिस का ये आदेश पढ़िये। दिल्ली से चुनाव आयोग ने पंजाब पुलिस हटाकर गुजरात पुलिस तैनात कर दी है। ये चल क्या रहा है? pic.twitter.com/Q6c9WwuSaL— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 25, 2025
Kejriwal’s claim came days after Punjab Police personnel were removed from former Delhi Chief Minister’s personal security cover, which he claimed was “pure politics”.
There should not be any politics at least over personal safety and security, he added.
Punjab’s Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said the state police component deployed for Kejriwal’s security was withdrawn following directions from the Delhi Police and the EC.
The Punjab Police on Thursday was directed by the Election Commission and Delhi Police to remove its personnel from Kejriwal’s security cover. The security arrangement for Kejriwal, involving police personnel from two different states, was against the law, according to sources in the Delhi Police.
BJP Responds
Gujarat home minister and BJP leader Harsh Sanghavi responded to his claims and said that the personnel have been provided as per an Election Commission (EC) order for various states and questioned him over the “selective” mention of Gujarat.
“I’m surprised you’re not aware of the Election Commission’s norms. They’ve requested forces from various states, not just Gujarat. As per their request, eight companies of SRP from Gujarat were sent to Delhi for the scheduled election on January 11. Why the selective mention of Gujarat, Kejriwal ji?” Sanghvi said.
मुझे अब समझ आया कि लोग आपको झांसेबाज क्यो कहते है!!Kejriwal ji as a former Chief Minister, I’m surprised you’re not aware of the Election Commission’s norms.
They’ve requested forces from various states, not just Gujarat. In fact, the Election Commission of India has ordered… https://t.co/2hLvhwYuF6 pic.twitter.com/cvdsVqvUHp
— Harsh Sanghavi (@sanghaviharsh) January 25, 2025
Delhi Polls
Polling for all 70 assembly seats in Delhi will be held on February 5 and the votes will be counted on February 8. While AAP is seeking a third consecutive term in office, the BJP is attempting to regain power in the national capital for the first time since 1998.
(With inputs from PTI)
