Senior AAP leader Satyendar Jain on Wednesday claimed that there would be a “direct contest” between the Arvind Kejriwal-led party and the BJP during the Himachal Pradesh polls due later this year, and his party will emerge victorious. At a press conference, he said, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Himachal Pradesh) head and advocate, Anender Singh Nauti, along with his thirty associates have joined the AAP. Some of the members who joined were present during the press meet.

“With few months to go for the HP polls, the CM of Himachal Pradesh is now going from one place to another, doing inauguration of projects, and telling people what his government will do if voted to power. He should seek votes on the basis of what has been done by the government,” Jain said.

In this poll, there would be a “direct contest” between the AAP and the BJP, while the Congress is nowhere in contention, he claimed.

There is an “intense infighting in Congress party, and some of those who joined AAP on Wednesday, also earlier belonged to Congress,” said the AAP leader, also the Himachal Pradesh in-charge of the party.

“About 1,000 people will join AAP when I will visit Paonta Sahib, we will make formal announcements about it,” he added.

Jain said, the 31 members who joined AAP on Wednesday, included two former women municipal councillors too.

Asked about the claims that “demolition notices” have been sent to four temples in Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar area, Jain, also Delhi’s home minister, alleged, the BJP is playing “bulldozer politics” and “threatening people with demolition action to induce fear in them”.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday had claimed that the BJP-led Central government has initiated a move to demolish four temples in the Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar area, accusing the saffron party of playing “bulldozer politics” in the national capital.

Addressing a press conference at party headquarters here, AAP leader Atishi had said that the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs had sent “demolition notices” to these four temples, and warned that people of Delhi would not “tolerate” such “goondagardi (hooliganism)” of the BJP.

On the controversial issue of removal of loudspeakers from religious sites, Jain on Wednesday said, this matter pertains to Delhi Police, and BJP should approach them, even as he asserted that during recitation of Hanuman Chalisa and hosting of ‘Jagran’, special permission is sought. So, should that be stopped too, he asked.