Sanjay Singh: BJP offered `15 crores to seven AAP candidates to switch sides

New Delhi: In a dramatic revelation ahead of vote counting in the Delhi Assembly elections, senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of conceding defeat before a single ballot had been counted. Singh claimed that the BJP had shifted its focus to toppling the AAP government through ‘Operation Lotus’, a strategy to buy AAP MLAs to engineer defections.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Sanjay Singh said, “Since this morning, we have been in discussions with our MLAs and candidates, and several of them have informed me that they have received offers.” He revealed that the BJP had approached seven AAP candidates contesting the elections, offering them ₹15 crore each in exchange for defecting and helping the BJP form a government. Singh said, “They

received phone calls from BJP operatives, urging them to defect and join the BJP.”

In response to these attempts, AAP has reportedly instructed all its candidates, including sitting MLAs and new contenders, to remain vigilant. Singh explained, “We have specifically directed them to record all such calls and formally report them. Additionally, if anyone approaches them in person with such an offer, they should secretly record a video using a hidden camera and share this evidence with the media and the public.”

Singh accused the BJP of employing its usual tactics of horse-trading and undermining democracy, tactics that he claimed have been used in elections across the country. He stated, “First, even before the counting, before February 8, the BJP has already accepted its defeat in Delhi. They know they are losing completely. Second, their strategy of horse-trading, crushing democracy, and breaking parties, which they have used across the country, has now been deployed in Delhi as well.”

The AAP leader highlighted that despite these efforts, the party has remained resilient. “Time and again, the BJP has used this tactic. They have, at times, succeeded in breaking a few leaders by using money and misusing investigative agencies. They pressure MLAs using every possible method,” Singh said. He also cited instances where the BJP succeeded in poaching AAP leaders, including breaking a Punjab MP and a minister in Delhi.

Singh continued, “They even managed to break our MLA from Seemapuri,” referring to a past defection. However, he affirmed that AAP has been able to protect its Delhi government and fend off the BJP’s attempts.