New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal today announced his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)s “10 guarantees” ahead of the Delhi Municipal Corporation elections on December 4. “Vote for those who run Delhi, not those who stall its growth,” said the Chief Minister.
- The first guarantee, Mr Kejriwal said, was to beautify Delhi. “It is sad to see all the garbage, the filth, the drains. There will be no new garbage dumps in Delhi. We will dispose of garbage – it is not rocket science,” he said.
- The AAP chief promised to clean up the roads and lanes of Delhi and refurbish all schools and hospitals run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
- Promising a “corruption-free MCD”, Mr Kejriwal said he would simplify the clearing of building plans and make it more transparent.
- “We will have a scheme for regularising minor violations at a fee so people are not blackmailed,” Mr Kejriwal said.
- He also pledged to solve the parking problem “once and for all” and free the capital of stray dogs, cows and monkeys.
- In other guarantees, Mr Kejriwal promised to make Delhi the “city of parks”, confirm all temporary civic employees and give salaries on time, end “Inspector Raj” or a tough licensing regime and reopen sealed shops.
- “I want to tell traders, trust your brother,” Mr Kejriwal said. He also said AAP would ensure proper zones for vendors so they would not be harassed.
- Mr Kejriwal also offered his prediction for the MCD election. “This time, the BJP will win less than 20 seats,” he said.
- The results will be declared on December 7. The BJP has been ruling the MCD for 15 years. In the 2017 civic polls, the BJP won 181 seats in the 250-seat civic body, increasing its count from the 2012 election (138).
- AAP contested the civic elections for the first time in 2017 and won 49 seats, displacing the Congress (it won 31 seats) as the number two party in the MCD.