Even as he accused Verma without taking his name, Kejriwal in one of his X posts suggested that the BJP would be naming Verma as the party’s face for the Delhi assembly elections scheduled to take place early next year. “According to sources, BJP is going to declare Parvesh Verma as its CM face. Would the people of Delhi want such a person to be their CM?” he asked.

According to BJP sources, the party is keen to contest the Delhi assembly elections without a face under a collective leadership, as it has done in a number of state elections, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, among others.

While the BJP did not officially comment on the matter, senior BJP leader Amit Malviya took to X and wrote: “Arvind Kejriwal is in a tight spot due to the fear of defeat. The man who did not step into the New Delhi Assembly after becoming MLA and chief minister for the third time, and made the people there yearn for basic facilities like clean water, is looking for an excuse for his defeat before the election announcement”.

The BJP has been attacking Kejriwal’s ‘aam aadmi’ (common man) image, and had even released a video earlier this month of his erstwhile Civil Lines residence which it dubs as ‘Sheesh Mahal’.

In a statement to the media, Verma denied the allegations of distributing cash for votes but admitted that he was providing funds to the needy.

“I saw a tweet of former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal yesterday and today I saw the press conference of Delhi Chief Minister Atishi. I am seeing that they are really worried about the New Delhi constituency. I want to inform him that my father had formed a Rashtriya Swabhiman Sanstha 25 years ago. We developed two villages after two earthquakes in Gujarat, then we developed four villages in Odisha, after the cyclone, they were inaugurated by former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. We had given Rs 1 lakh each to families of martyrs of Kargil War. My father taught me to help the needy,” said Verma.

He further pointed out that during the Covid-19 pandemic, he had provided 500 oxygen concentrators and done a lot more work.

“For the past 11 days I have been witnessing the agony of women here, which Arvind Kejriwal did not see in 11 years. When I visited their colonies, they told me how their electricity bills cost thousands of rupees. They get dirty and contaminated water and they don’t have any access to medicines and healthcare,” Verma added.

“Their plight and deprivation, a direct result of AAP’s misgovernance, convinced me of the need to provide monthly assistance to each woman in New Delhi through (NGO) Rashtriya Swabhiman. I immediately ideated and launched a scheme in this regard, soon followed by registration drives and camps at several places. The scheme received tremendous response and we began providing this monthly assistance to my Ladli sisters and mothers of New Delhi. Unlike Mr Kejriwal, at least I am not distributing free alcohol to Delhi’s residents!” said Verma.

Verma also made another announcement: “I hereby make a declaration that irrespective of whatever noise and ruckus Mr Kejriwal creates, I shall remain steadfast in my mission to assist each and every needy woman in New Delhi.”

He went on to promise that every woman of New Delhi will receive this help without any hindrance. “From their pension needs to job requirements, their brother and son—Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma—is working 24×7 to improve their lives,” he said.

Vema also alleged that the entire AAP is “rattled” by his NGO’s scheme in New Delhi. “I want to tell Ms Atishi Marlena that this is just one of the several works of good governance carried out by me. Instead of doing press conferences, she should stand in support of my work. The same applies to the elusive MLA of New Delhi, Mr Arvind Kejriwal…. The Model Code of Conduct is yet to be imposed…. there is nothing that should prevent him from executing his promises to the women of Delhi. Three years ago, he had made similar promises to the women in the state of Punjab. But not even a single rupee has been credited to any of the women’s bank accounts,” he said.

Also Read: Kejriwal plays AAP’s trump card for 2025 Delhi assembly polls: Rs 2,100 monthly payout to women

‘To my dear mothers & sisters, from Pravesh Bhai’

The women, who have received the funds, though, are content.

ThePrint reached Verma’s residence at 20 Windsor Place late Wednesday afternoon, at around 3 pm, and found 45-year-old Hansrajini, a resident of Kali Bari area hurrying towards the former BJP MP’s house to collect Rs 1,100 promised to her under what she was told was the “Ladli Yojana”, which means a scheme for loved ones. She was accompanied by her daughter.

The BJP has started different variants of the Ladli scheme in states like Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, where a fixed amount is given to girls and women, and reaped massive political dividends in the respective states.

However, in Delhi neither the city or the Centre runs any ‘Ladli Yojana’.  

“Many people in my colony informed me about it last evening, but I couldn’t come because of the rain,” Hansrajini said, clutching a plastic folder containing her ‘Ladli Yojana card’ with a thumbprint, Aadhaar card, voter ID, a white envelope, and a 2025 calendar.

Hansrajini said that she had been given a numbered token at Verma’s residence after she submitted the copy of her voter ID, Aadhaar card, and bank account number Wednesday. “We were called as per our token number and were given a white envelope with Rs 1,100 inside and a yellow card,” she told ThePrint.

Verma in his media statement has said that the money was given by his NGO.

Hansrajini further claimed that at his residence, Verma did not address the women who had gone to collect the money directly but urged them to vote for the BJP.

The yellow cards given to the women had “Ladli Yojana” typed on it with a picture of Parvesh Verma alongside. On top of the card there was a group picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah and Parvesh’s father and former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma. The card also displayed details of the beneficiaries on the front, while the back featured a table to record payments made to them from January 2025 to December 2029.

The women ThePrint spoke to claimed that they had received the money in a white envelope with a small sticker that said “Meri pyaari laadli mata and behno ke liye, pravesh bhai ki taraf se” (to my dear mothers and sisters, from Pravesh Bhai).

The women, who received the money, were asked to sign or provide a thumbprint in the card under a box, with January printed above it, to acknowledge the receipt of the amount.

“Verma and the others who were there told us that change will only come if we support him,” Hansrajini  added, noting that inflation is rising, everything is becoming more expensive, and, with a family of six to support, any assistance would be welcome.

Hansrajini left the venue around 4 pm, with the money. Her daughter also received the sum along with her.

The BJP MP had set up camps at various locations, three of which were around the Kali Bari area, near Atal Adarsh Vidyalaya, Sangli Mess, NDMC, and Kali Temple on Bangla Sahib Road.

Earlier in the day, at around 2 pm, two more women from Hansrajini’s family, Geeta and Kajal, arrived at the former MP’s house to collect the promised money. They had registered Tuesday at a camp near the Kali Temple on Bangla Sahib Road.

“They promised to help us with jobs if needed,” said Geeta, whose husband works with the NDMC’s sewerage division as a cleaner for sewer lines.

The women also claimed that when they went to register at the camps, they found that their names were already on a pre-prepared list. They simply had to confirm their details.

The BJP, ThePrint had reported was considering Verma from the New Delhi assembly seat to give a “tough” fight to Kejriwal, viewing the 2025 assembly polls as an opportunity to regain the reins of the national capital.

Kejriwal has represented the New Delhi assembly seat since 2013. Verma represented the West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency from 2014 till 2019 and also won from Mehrauli in the 2013 assembly elections. His father Sahib Singh Verma served as the chief minister of Delhi between 1996 and 1998.

According to party sources, Verma has been preparing to contest from the New Delhi seat and has held meetings with voters from the New Delhi constituency as well as workers to chalk out a plan for campaigning. Sources in the national BJP said Verma is keen to contest against Kejriwal and the central leadership will take a final decision in this regard soon.

(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)

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