By: Express News ServiceNew Delhi | November 17, 2025 06:45 AM IST 3 min readAs the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) heads into by-elections across 12 wards, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has zeroed in on one issue to open its poll campaign: the demolitions that had been carried out under the BJP-led government across the city earlier this year.Launching the party’s electoral campaign in Dwarka, AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj said the BJP had turned the Capital’s institutions into instruments of intimidation. “Garbage not cleaned, sewers not cleared, pollution not reduced; BJP failed on every promise it made to Delhi,” he said. “Neither sewers are being cleaned, nor garbage, nor air; but the BJP government’s thuggery is certainly at its peak,”he added.On the issue of demolitions, Bharadwaj alleged that the drives were being held based on the complaints made by BJP leaders themselves. “BJP leaders are themselves filing complaints, they are sending bulldozers and then taking hefty money…Complaints are being filed on their own letterheads, naming the colonies, and on the basis of those letterheads, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is running bulldozers,” he claimed.Drawing a contrast with earlier years, he claimed, “As long as Arvind Kejriwal’s government remained the DDA never dared to enter any village and carry out a demolition. They knew that if they came, the AAP MLA would arrive and even though the central government had full power, the DDA bulldozers never came because they feared that Arvind Kejriwal would create trouble for them.”In sharp rebuttal, the BJP dismissed AAP’s allegations, describing them as an attempt to mask the party’s electoral vulnerability.Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, “Fearing a major defeat in the by-elections, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj is trying to mislead the public by narrating stories about houses being demolished… but the public is no longer interested in listening to these fanciful tales.”Further, he added, “Although the by-election in Delhi is only for 12 wards, the agitation and frustration visible among the leaders of the AAP clearly shows that they are frightened by the possibility of a major defeat.”Story continues below this adHitting out at the ruling government, the AAP Delhi chief claimed that the political configuration of the city where BJP is in charge of the centre, the Delhi government, the LG office and the MCD, has left residents without any recourse. “Now from top to bottom, such ‘goondagardi’ has spread that if someone puts a hand on your neck, you do not even know where to go…Because the same MP, the same party’s MLA, the same party’s MCD… everything is theirs,” he said.In response to Bharadwaj’s comments, Kapoor claimed that the AAP will face a rout in the upcoming by-elections. “Out of the 12 wards going to by-polls, AAP had won only 3 in 2022 — Deoli, Chandni Chowk and Chandni Mahal — but on November 30, AAP will be completely wiped out.”Earlier this year, AAP had mobilised jhuggi residents from across Delhi at Jantar Mantar under party national convener Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership to protest against demolitions. The 12 MCD seats now going to polls fell vacant after the councillors were elected as MLAs in the elections in February.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Aam Aadmi PartyBharatiya Janata Party