Chief minister-designate Atishi urged the people of Delhi, on Friday, to choose Arvind Kejriwal to prevent a BJP government from increasing power tariffs in the national capital, assuring that she would protect them during the next four months. Alleging that the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government had increased the charges to get a new power connection by up to 250 per cent, Atishi said it was important for the people of the capital to re-elect AAP to continue to enjoy cheap and uninterrupted power supply. Addressing a press conference, Atishi said in her short stint as the chief minister, she will try to “protect” the people of Delhi from BJP’s “conspiracies” to increase electricity charges in the capital.

“Delhi government provides free electricity to over 35 lakh families while 17 lakh households get a 50 per cent discount on the power bills.  A family consuming 400 units of electricity in a month, which is not covered under any subsidy, pays a bill of Rs 980 in Delhi. But in BJP-led states, the bill for consuming 400 units of electricity runs into thousands of rupees,” alleged Atishi, who also held the charge of the power department in the outgoing government of Arvind Kejriwal.

Even in June, when power demand was at its peak, Delhiites were provided with an uninterrupted power supply, while the residents of Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, and Sahibabad were subjected to eight hours of power cuts, she added.

She alleged that the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government's electricity model was the "costliest with long outages" and said choosing Kejriwal as chief minister would prevent them from the same fate. "What we are seeing in Uttar Pradesh, we might have to see in Delhi if you do not choose Kejriwal. This is important as only he can give free electricity 24x7.

I will protect the people of Delhi during the next four months as the BJP might try to increase power tariffs in the national capital," she said at a press conference. Atishi also claimed the Uttar Pradesh government had increased electricity connection rates by 250 per cent.

"For getting a 1-kilowatt electricity connection, people (in Uttar Pradesh) will have to pay Rs 3,000 against the earlier Rs 1,200 while the cost of getting a 5-kilowatt connection has been hiked by 118 per cent," she claimed. Hitting out at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, she said there were long power cuts during the summer months in Noida, Ghaziabad, Sahibabad while there were no outages in Delhi.

Assembly polls in Delhi are due in Feb 2025. Atishi,  who was chosen to succeed Kejriwal after his resignation, will get a maximum of just five months to run the government in Delhi, if the elections are held as per schedule. Free power to frugal customers who consume up to 200 units of electricity and 50 per cent rebate on the consumption of up to 400 units in a month, is going to be one of the biggest poll planks of AAP in the upcoming polls. Free electricity, water and transportation to women in state run buses are always the AAP main poll planks in the assembly polls in the country.