The Delhi BJP has issued a challenge to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, asking him to run against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the upcoming elections. The challenge came after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) tweeted that PM Modi was afraid of Kejriwal’s growing popularity. In response, Delhi BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana tweeted in Hindi, If you believe that you are more popular than Narendra Modi ji and Modi ji is afraid of you, then have the courage to announce in Patna today that you will contest the Lok Sabha election once again in 2024 against Modi ji from Varanasi.
Khurana went on to say that it was Kejriwal who was actually scared of PM Modi. The challenge came as Kejriwal attended an opposition meet in Patna on Friday, which included top opposition parties like the Congress, RJD, and SP, who were all meeting to discuss the formation of an anti-BJP front for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The challenge by the Delhi BJP is significant because Varanasi is PM Modi’s constituency, and he won the seat in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Kejriwal has never contested national elections before and has only contested assembly elections in Delhi. The challenge comes amid reports of growing political rivalry between the AAP and the BJP in the national capital.
However, some experts believe that the challenge could also be a political stunt and may not reflect the true political realities on the ground. While it is true that Kejriwal has emerged as a popular leader in Delhi, it is unlikely that he could beat Modi in Varanasi, said political analyst Vinod Sharma.
The challenge also comes at a time when the BJP and AAP are engaged in a bitter war of words over the recent appointment of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) chairperson. The AAP has alleged that the central government is trying to overrule the Delhi government’s decision to appoint a new DERC chairperson, which the BJP has denied.
Overall, the challenge by the Delhi BJP has added a new dimension to the political rivalry between the BJP and AAP in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While it remains to be seen how Kejriwal will respond to the challenge, it is clear that political tensions will continue to simmer between the two parties in the coming months.
