Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar have supported each other at several instances, such as during the time when a demand for full statehood for Delhi was raised
The Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal-United (JD-U) has decided to fight municipal corporation election in the Capital and their main target are the Purvanchali voters in the city. To that end, Bihar Chief Minister Kumar will be holding a massive rally in Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on February 26.
Kumar's decision may cut into Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Purvanchali vote bank. "The CM will hold a massive rally on February 26. The party members and MPs have already started preparations for the rally," a party source said.
Kumar and Kejriwal seem to share a cordial relationship. The leaders have supported each other at several instances, such as during the time when a demand for full statehood for Delhi was raised. Now whether they will share the same equation after Kumar's decision to fight the municipal election in the Capital remains to be seen.
In an executive meeting held on Sunday, JD-U announced that it will fight the polls on all 272 wards. Interestingly, this will be first time that AAP will also be contesting on all the 272 seats after its electrifying victory in the Assembly elections in 2015, in which it won 67 of the 70 seats.
JD-U sources said one third of the population in the national Capital was from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh (UP), and it was Kejriwal who first tapped into this vote bank by giving 11 tickets to Purvanchalis. "But these people feel cheated now as most of the time, their Chief Minister is out to conquer other states," they said.
"Over the years, a large number of people from Purvanchal, a region spread over eastern UP and Bihar, have settled in the Capital. But no party has done anything for them. It is time for Kumar to listen to their problems," another source said.
Meanwhile, apart from JD-U, the Yogendra Yadav-led Swaraj Abhiyan has decided to take on Kejriwal. Congress, which ruled the city for 15 years but could not even open its account in the Assembly polls, is also in the fray. It will be a testing time for the party that is raring to make a comeback in Delhi's political scene.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power in all the three municipal bodies for the last 10 years but is facing an anti-incumbency factor in this election.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Arvind Kejriwal and Nitish Kumar")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}