Arvind Kejriwal said that schools and water supply have improved under his governance.
Shortly after the Election Commission announced the dates for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today asked the people of the national capital to "vote for Delhi" instead of individual political parties. "Schools are in a better condition today, and households have better access to water. Vote for us if you feel that we have worked for Delhi," he said in a televised address that charted out the various development works carried out by his government.
Arvind Kejriwal said that the work done by his government will decide AAP's fate in the polls. "Probably for the first time in 70 years, people will vote for good schools, hospitals and development of infrastructure. While the BJP is responsible for civic bodies and the police force in Delhi, I trust that the people will judge us by the work we have done in areas under our jurisdiction," he said, adding that his government did not discriminate on political lines while working for people's development.
He sent out an appeal to BJP supporters too, asking them to ensure that the development work carried out by the AAP government over the last five years is not marred by an adverse poll outcome. "We would also like to tell those who support BJP that, for the first time in 70 years, you have better hospitals and schools. Do not put a stop to this. We ask them to vote for Delhi, vote for India, for your family and kids, not just for the party you belong to," Arvind Kejriwal said.
Although AAP had swept the previous elections in 2015, bagging 67 of 70 seats in the assembly, the BJP believes that the outcome will be different this time round. "The upcoming polls will be fought on the basis of performance, not hollow talk. Arvind Kejriwal's lies are exposed, and the people have seen his real face," Union Minister Prakash Javadekar told mediapersons on Monday, minutes after the election dates were announced.
In his address, Arvind Kejriwal also criticised BJP chief Amit Shah for targeting him instead of speaking on his vision for Delhi at a rally in the national capital on Sunday. "Our election campaign focused mostly on positive issues. We hoped that Amit Shah would talk about the work his government has done and what it plans to do in the future. But all he did was criticise us. If he has any worthwhile suggestions for developing Delhi, we will include it in our manifesto and implement them too," he said.
Chief Election Commission Sunil Arora had declared earlier today that elections to 70 seats in Delhi will be held on February 8, and the votes counted three days later. "We are committed to fair polls. Nearly 90,000 officials will be deployed to ensure that everything goes smoothly," he said.