The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress on Monday took a potshot on the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) second list for the upcoming state Assembly polls. They claim Arvind Kejriwal has conceded defeat  even before the dates for the Delhi Assembly elections have been announced by dropping 13 sitting MLAs in the second list of  20 AAP candidates, which was a sequel to the 11 candidates declared earlier, which included six candidates who were discards from other parties.

Delhi BJP said its slogan “Ab Nahi Sahenge, Badal Kar Rahenge” has started to show its impact with the former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia forcing to change his constituency from Patparganj to Janpura.

“Today, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and former minister Rakhi Bidlan have not only been forced to change their constituencies, but the list of 20 candidates issued today shows that all 20 sitting MLAs of AAP have been denied tickets,” Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said.

He alleged that although Sisodia and Bidlan have received tickets, switching constituencies after three elections shows that they have lost their political ground in their previous areas.

Sachdeva remarked that the BJP's slogan “Ab Nahi Sahenge, Badal Kar Rahenge” has resonated not just with the party but also with the public. “People are determined to bring a double-engine government in Delhi. This public sentiment has forced Manish Sisodia to change his constituency in today's list,” he said.

He stated that if the Deputy Chief Minister himself is fleeing his constituency, it reflects the extent of fear. Sachdeva also highlighted that despite AAP issuing its second candidate list, it conspicuously lacks the name of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He added, “Just as Manish Sisodia has fled Patparganj, Atishi and Arvind Kejriwal will also flee their constituencies.”

The state BJP chief Arvind Kejriwal for giving tickets to the sons of two sitting MLAs, despite his consistent criticism of nepotism. He added that many AAP MLAs are unwilling to contest elections, and Kejriwal's realization of his party's non-performance is now evident.

Commenting on Kejriwal's recent visit to MLA Shoaib Iqbal's house, Sachdeva suggested that the visit was likely a request for a safe seat. He said that Kejriwal's claims of being unyielding are baseless, as corruption within AAP will eventually lead to its downfall.

Union Minister Harsh Malhotra stated that the AAP candidate list so far suggests that the party is sinking. He pointed out that Sisodia, who contested from the same seat for 12 years, has now fled because of his non-performance over the last five years. “Notable names like Dilip Pandey have also been denied tickets from Timarpur,” he said.

Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav said the AAP have realised that they did nothing in the last five year and there are huge anti-incumbency factor against their MLAs. He said Kejriwal’s cosmetic changes in candidates will not change  people’s  ire at him for ruining their life through misrule. Yadav further said that said that the fact that AAP has so far dropped 16 MLAs was proof that the ruling party MLAs only committed corruption to loot the funds meant for public welfare and developments.