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A Delhi Police team showed up Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's home in the city Thursday. Sources told News Agency this followed a complaint on the Election Commission's cVIGIL mobile app.
"We have got a complaint about money distribution. We have to dispose off the complaint within 100 minutes. Our FST had come (but) was not allowed to enter. I have come to request them to let us enter... with a cameraperson. A complaint of money distribution was received on the cVIGIL app," OP Pandey, the Returning Officer for the constituency, told reporters.
Visuals from outside the building - near Connaught Place in central Delhi - showed half-a-dozen uniformed security officers, with assault rifles, stationed outside the main gate.
However, the presence of cops at the Punjab Chief Minister's residence - particularly with the Delhi Assembly election less than a week away - prompted the Aam Aadmi Party to cry foul.
Delhi Chief Minister Atishi said on X that cops had arrived to carry out a "raid" of Mr Mann's residence, and seemed to accuse the poll panel of ignoring violations of the Model Code by the Bharatiya Janata Party in favour of harassing its rival, the AAP.
"BJP people distribute money, shoes... in broad daylight. That is not visible. Instead, they raid the residence of an elected Chief Minister," she raged. "Wow BJP! Delhi will give its answer on the 5th."
दिल्ली पुलिस @BhagwantMann जी के दिल्ली के घर पर रेड करने पहुँच गई है। भाजपा वाले दिन दहाड़े पैसे, जूते, चद्दर बांट रहे हैं- वो नहीं दिखता। बल्कि एक चुने हुए मुख्यमंत्री के निवास पर रेड करने पहुँच जाते हैं।वाह री भाजपा! दिल्ली वाले 5 तारीख़ को जवाब देंगे!— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) January 30, 2025
The nature of the complaint against Mr Mann is unclear, at this time.
However, unconfirmed reports indicate it stems from the seizure of a car parked outside Punjab Bhavan on Copernicus Marg. Sources told News Agency around Rs 8 lakh in cash, liquor, and AAP pamphlets were found in the car, which also had a 'Government of Punjab' sticker on it.
The Punjab government later confirmed the vehicle was not registered to its offices. It was also pointed out the car with that registration number was listed as a Ford Eco Sport in Punjab government records, while the vehicle in Delhi Police's custody now is a Hyundai Creta.
Delhi Police have registered a case.
The national capital's 70 Assembly seats vote in a single phase on February 5. The results will be declared three days later. The AAP is bidding for a hat-trick of wins after dominant shows in the 2015 and 2020 polls, when they swept 67 and 62 seats, respectively.
This time, though, a much closer contest is expected, with the ruling party and the opposition BJP squabbling over a number of issues, including allegations by the former that the latter's government in neighbouring Haryana had "poisoned" Yamuna River water it sends to Delhi.