'BJP Rigging Delhi Elections by Deleting AAP Voters': Reena Gupta Interview

On 'Badi Badi Baatein', AAP Delhi Secretary explains attempts to delete AAP voters, party's strategies & more.

(Photo: The Quint)

"I would want to say that there is pro-incumbency. The people know the good work that has been done and they want this work to continue," said Reena Gupta, national spokesperson of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the party's Delhi State Secretary.

The AAP has officially kicked off the campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections in Delhi. But at the same time, the party which has been at the helm in the national capital for over a decade has made serious allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of illegally "deleting AAP's voters from Delhi's polling lists."

"The BJP is trying to execute an extraordinary event," Gupta told The Quint.

On this episode of 'Badi Badi Baatein', Gupta explains alleged attempts by the BJP to remove AAP voters from Delhi's voting lists, the party's strategies for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, and the perceived political crisis within AAP.

What is the biggest challenge for AAP in 2024?

The main challenge was that we did not get full five years to work, in a way. There was a substantial period for which our senior leaders were jailed. There was a time when the BJP blocked a lot of work using the LG office. So, there was a lot of work that we could not do. But despite these hurdles, the voters of Delhi appreciate the work we have done over the past 10 years. Hence, they will vote for CM Arvind Kejriwal for the fourth time.

It is a big deal when a party like AAP comes up with allegations like vote rigging or deletion of voters. More than the BJP or any party, it raises questions on the integrity of the EC. Can you explain what exactly are your alleging on 'deletion' of voters?

A whistleblower sent us information as to how the BJP is identifying places with AAP voters and filling Form 7 which declares that an individiual XYZ does not reside on this address anymore, and that this person's vote must be deleted from here. Areas were identified where there are core AAP voters and such forms were filled and submitted to the Election Commission. We got information that in Shahdara itself, names of 11,081 voters were submitted for deletion. All these forms were given to us by the whistleblower. Since it was not possible to verify 11,000 forms immediately, we randomly selected 500 of such addresses. We traced their phone numbers and also met them. In 75% addresses, we found that the voter had neither left that residence nor had they passed away. So, illegal applications have been given to delete their votes. This is information of just one Assembly constituency. We have such information from 20 Assembly constituencies and we will bring forth details from there.

What is the exact way of knowing that these are AAP voters?

That is easy. You check the vote results of last time and check booth-level data as to who won this booth predominantly. It's all there on the EC website. You can verify whether that booth was won by the BJP or AAP. We have discovered that the data of voters which has been submitted for deletion, most of them are from booths which the AAP won in the last elections.

11,000 is a big number. How has been the EC's response on these allegations so far?

We saw in the media reports that the EC is not ready to accept these allegations. There are so many Assembly constituencies where the outcome is decided by 5,000-6,000 votes at times. If you delete about 11,000 votes from one Assembly constituency, which is about 6% of the total number of voters, then there is no point of having an election at all. You identify those constituencies where the AAP won by a lesser margin and get AAP voters deleted there, you have won that election directly. Then why do you need to have an election at all?

There is a summary revision of electoral rolls. The rolls were revised before the Lok Sabha elections this year. The rolls were revised again before 28 October for the Assembly elections and that list was submitted. Why are votes being deleted after that? According to rules, if more than 0.2% votes are being requested to be deleted in an election year, this is considered to be an 'extraordinary event' for which the Chief Election Officer (CEO) themself has to approve it. Clearly, the BJP is trying to execute an extraordinary event.

Did the AAP reach out to the EC for an explanation before coming out with the allegations?

For now, the applications have been submitted to delete these votes. The process must be followed by the EC in which the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have to go to those areas to verify whether the person has shifted from there or not. The EC must follow this process diligently. All 11,000 applications must be verified and only then the final decision on deletion must be taken.

A lot has happened with AAP over the past 10 years. The CM and deputy CM have been to prison, there have been controversies with Mr Naresh Balyan, Mr Amanatullah Khan, etc. Coupled with the anti-incumbency that might have crept in, do you still think the AAP will be able to perform the way it did in the previous elections?

I would want to say that there is pro-incumbency. The people know the good work that has been done and they want this work to continue. The voters of Delhi are clear about voting on the basis of work. As far as anti-incumbency is concerned, the party is doing seat-by-seat analysis. If the party feels that there is a candidate who has not performed up to the mark, the party is changing candidates there.

Is the seat-by-seat analysis also leading to turncoats of other parties getting tickets?

Every party has good candidates. The turncoats that you are talkng about are strong candidates in their respective areas. They were all impressed with the policies and work of AAP. When we did a survey and found out that our own candidates were not up to the mark and there were good candidates from other parties who were also interested in joining the party, that's how they were nominated from those places. So, it was a combination of both finding good people and the feedback of our own people being not so good.

Mr Kailash Gehlot exited, Mr Ram Niwas Goel took a step back from active politics, Mr Dilip Pandey said that he will not be contesting from his seat. Is the AAP in crisis?

The AAP is not in crisis at all. Ram Niwas ji is aged over 75. He wanted to continue to serve the party but he did not want to be in active politics. That is the reason he stepped away. Kailash Gehlot was under a lot of pressure from ED and CBI. Not everybody is like Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Sanjay Singh that no matter how much pressure is created by imprisonment and incarceration, they will not leave (the party). Somewhere, Kailash Gehlot succumbed to that pressure and he joined the BJP. Our best wishes are with him.

Was the party expecting his exit?

The party was aware that he is under a lot of pressure from investigative agencies.

That is purely the reason?

That is purely the reason.

In the resignation letter he cited a lot of other reasons. He also mentioned the term 'sheeshmahal' being popularly used by the BJP. But despite all of that, you are confident that the party is not undergoing any crisis right now?

The party's strength comes from its voters. You can run whatever narrative that you want in the media that the party is in crisis, etc. You know how the media just sells one narrative. But when you speak to the people on the ground, you will have clarity that the people have love for the party and Arvind Kejriwal.

But why was the impact of it not seen in Lok Sabha elections? After the CM was imprisoned months before the Assembly elections, everybody expected it to have an impact. Even after Lok Sabha elections, he was out on bail and was allowed to campaign. What is the AAP's assessment as to why that sentiment for Mr Kejriwal, coupled with all the work that you are saying, did not translate to votes in the Lok Sabha?

There is only one reason for that — the voters somehow felt that the AAP still does not not have a large footprint at the national level the way other parties do. They still had more faith in other parties when it comes to national politics. But for Delhi's politics, they know that AAP does not have a challenge because they have seen that the work that has happened in Delhi and Punjab.

Several popular schemes of state governments that have played a major role like Laadki Baahin scheme in Maharashtra, the free bus rides for women, the Laadli Behna Yojana in Madhya Pradesh — we have seen a trend with direct cash transfer schemes. They were also there in Jharkhand and West Bengal. Atishi had also introduced a similar Mahila Samman Yojana scheme when she had presented the Delhi Budget. Where is the scheme right now?

We have formulated all the documents, the finance departments will find out where the finances will come from, and as soon as that file is cleared, it goes to the LG office and that scheme will be in place.

As a woman, do you think these schemes give a boost electorally?

The most popular scheme in Delhi is the free bus ride for women. We recently compeleted five years of our Pink Ticket scheme. Most people don't understand the importance of this scheme. If you talk to young girls or women of the poorer strata of the society, they will tell you how their employment opportunities rise. Secondly, the aspect we miss is the recreation. To my mind, this scheme of AAP has been one of the most pioneering schemes. Not only has their labour force participation increased, but also their presence in colleges. Young students have said that it is easier to attend college. The number of women in public spaces has increased which in turn will lead to more public safety and security. This is a very well-rounded scheme.

On direct cash transfers to women, there are lots of international policy documents. It has been tried in several countries before that when you give cash directly to women, that money is used productively. It boosts the family income and is not used for buying alcohol or drugs, etc.

In terms of productivity, any economist will tell you that when you give money directly in the hands of women, it always leads to better development of the family and eventually the state's GDP, the economy of the country, etc.