Delhi votes on February 7 for the upcoming assembly elections and the results will be declared on February 10.
Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has challenged the BJP's Kiran Bedi to a public debate. Ms Bedi has accepted the challenge, but says she will debate him "on the floor of the assembly."
Last night, the BJP acknowledged Arvind Kejriwal as the man to beat in Delhi, when it picked as its chief ministerial candidate not a seasoned party veteran but former top cop turned activist Kiran Bedi, who joined the party and also politics only four days ago.
"Congrats 4 being nominated as BJP's CM candidate. I invite u 4 a public debate moderated by neutral person n telecast by all," Mr Kejriwal tweeted this morning. He later said that a two-hour long debate should be held before the elections at a location of Ms Bedi's choice.
"Arvind only believes in debate, I believe in delivering. Debates will happen on floor of the Assembly," Ms Bedi shot back, saying she was accepting the challenge.
Ms Bedi and Mr Kejriwal are both officers who became activists and have joined politics pledging to clean the system. They were the closest advisers to Gandhian activist Anna Hazare during his campaign for more accountability and transparency through new anti-graft laws. They fell out over Mr Kejriwal's decision to launch a political party.
This morning, Mr Kejriwal will file his nomination papers for the Delhi assembly elections after a four-km roadshow in the heart of the capital. He is contesting from the New Delhi constituency that he wrested in the last elections from the Congress' Sheila Dikshit.
There was much speculation on whether the BJP would also field Ms Bedi in a direct confrontation with Mr Kejriwaal in his New Delhi constituency, but the party has picked Nupur Sharma, a young lawyer and graduate from the London School of Economics to contest against Mr Kejriwal.
Ms Bedi will contest from Krishnanagar, seen as a BJP safe seat. BJP chief Amit Shah said the party had picked a stronghold for Ms Bedi so that she could be free to campaign all over Delhi for party.
Delhi votes on February 7 and results will be declared on February 10.