Kejriwal alleges conspiracy to disenfranchise slum dwellers

New Delhi: With the elections approaching, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has issued a strong warning to the residents of the city’s Jhuggi-Jhopri (JJ) clusters. He has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is attempting to manipulate voters by offering them money in exchange for allowing election ink to be applied to their fingers, without actually casting their votes.

Kejriwal claimed that BJP members were going door-to-door in JJ clusters, offering ₹3,000 to residents while misleading them into believing that they could vote from home. “Their party members are going door-to-door, telling people to take ₹3,000 and that the Election Commission will come to their homes to cast their votes. They are saying, ‘You can vote from home and get ink applied on your finger in return.’ When I heard this, I was shocked. This is a huge conspiracy against you,” he said.

The AAP chief warned that falling for such tactics could land innocent voters in legal trouble. “If, by mistake, you accept money and get ink applied on your finger, or if you cast a fake vote on their instructions, these people will file a case against you and have you arrested the very next day,” he cautioned.

Kejriwal further claimed that media personnel and cameras would be monitoring JJ clusters on the night before elections, and those caught engaging in electoral fraud could face years of legal battles. “If you get caught and the police find out that you took money and got ink applied on your finger, you will land in huge trouble. The case will drag on for years, and you will end up spending lakhs of rupees in courts and legal matters,” he said.

The AAP leader cited past incidents where individuals had been jailed for several years due to fake voting scams. “This has happened many times before, innocent poor people have spent 8-10 years in jail for getting involved in fake voting scams. And no one comes to save them. The very people giving you money today will get you arrested tomorrow,” he alleged. He also accused the BJP of planning to demolish Delhi’s slum settlements if they come to power.