The day started with a noisy showdown as BJP legislators raised slogans against the ruling AAP and demanded discussions on various issues, including the Excise Policy case. Just before the trust vote, BJP MLAs were marshalled out of the Delhi assembly for creating a ruckus.

Arvind Kejriwal said he wanted to take the majority test to prove that his party MLAs were honest and would not be tempted to cross over. He yet again alleged that the BJP had offered Rs 20 crore each to his MLAs to switch sides.

Mr Kejriwal alleged that the BJP has “bought” 277 MLAs till now to topple various state governments across the country, including Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Goa Maharashtra and Assam. “The party will now try to dislodge the Jharkhand government in the next 15 days,” he said.

“The BJP tried to buy our legislators too. Through this confidence motion, we wanted to show Delhiites that no AAP MLA has been bought. The “Operation Lotus” – a plan to topple the AAP government in Delhi – has failed,” he said.

Last week, his deputy Manish Sisodia had claimed that the BJP had offered to “shut all cases” against him if he quit the AAP and crossed over.  AAP has 62 MLAs in the 70-member Delhi assembly. The BJP has eight and needs 28 more for a majority.

The CBI recently raided Mr Sisodia in a case related to alleged irregularities and corruption in Delhi’s liquor policy which was introduced earlier this year and then rolled back. Mr Sisodia is number one on a list of 15 accused named in the CBI’s FIR on liquor policy violations. The Enforcement Directorate has also filed a money laundering case against him.

The FIR is based on a reference from Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, who had accused AAP of bringing the Excise Policy “with the sole aim” of benefiting private liquor barons for financial benefits to “individuals at the highest echelons of the government. Mr Saxena has alleged various discrepancies in the functioning of the Delhi government. The AAP in turn has accused him of working on the directions of the centre to derail its development projects.

Alleging a scam in the Delhi education department, the BJP today said that the AAP government increased the budget for the construction of classrooms in its existing schools, ignoring the Central Public Works Department’s guidelines.

AAP has said that the 2024 general election is set to be a contest between Mr Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accuses the BJP of misusing central agencies to try and stop the AAP leader because of his rising popularity and “commendable” work in the education and health sector.

The BJP has denied AAP’s allegations, accusing it of trying to divert attention from the corruption in its government. The party also dismissed AAP’s claim of being the main challenger to the BJP in the 2024 general election, saying, AAP made tall claims earlier too but could not stand before PM Modi.”