BJP’s ‘AAP-da’ vs AAP’s ‘Gaalibaz’: Poster war heats up in poll-bound Delhi

With the Delhi Assembly poll campaign gathering steam, the poster war between the ruling AAP and the BJP has intensified as the two rivals have come out with a series of posters to target each other ahead of voting on February 5.

The BJP released a poster of AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal wearing a crown, with a liquor bottle in his suit pocket and a glass of liquor in his hand. The poster apparently mocked his resignation as the Delhi chief minister last year following his bail in the controversial liquor policy case.

Also read: Slum dwellers will rid Delhi of 'Aapda' govt, says Amit Shah in fresh attack on Kejriwal

Focus on Kejriwal, Bidhuri

The party has also made the most of the poster’s backdrop which features a collage of images symbolising issues such as water woes, rising air pollution, toxic foam in the Yamuna, and Delhi floods. These visuals highlighted BJP’s criticism of the AAP’s governance. The caption on the poster read, “This AAP-da gang has ruined Delhi! Now we will not tolerate it, we will change our mind,” with the BJP continuing its ‘AAPda’ (disaster) attack the ruling party.

Hitting back, the AAP released a poster targeting former BJP Ramesh Bidhuri who is contesting the polls against Delhi Chief Minister Atishi from Kalkaji Assembly constituency. The poster showed Bidhuri seemingly emerging from a torn poster, with the caption, “Phata Poster, Nikla Gaalibaz.” Another poster of Bidhuri shows him as a villain from Bahubali 1 with caption, “Gaalibaz party ka Gaalibaz CM chehra” (Abusive party’s abusive chief ministerial face). The AAP’s poster seems to slam Bidhuri’s controversial remarks and raise a question mark on his suitability as a potential chief ministerial candidate for Delhi.

Also read: Delhi polls: Kejriwal says Bidhuri will be BJP's CM face, challenges him to public debate

Shah also on target

The AAP didn’t stop there and stepped up the poster war with another release targeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The poster featured Shah playing chess with photos of Congress leaders Sandeep Dikshit, Ajay Maken, and Alka Lamba depicted as pawns on the chessboard. The caption read, “Delhi Congress leaders are pawns in the hands of BJP and Amit Shah in electoral chess.” This was an apparent accusation by AAP that the BJP was using Congress leaders to influence the Delhi Assembly polls.

With the Delhi Assembly polls fast approaching, the poster war highlights the high-stakes battle between the BJP and AAP. Both parties are leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to win the trust of Delhi voters, with governance, accountability, and political strategies taking centre stage.