AAP, BJP in Delhi seek divine help in ongoing election season

With the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, political parties in Delhi celebrated Hanuman Jayanti on Tuesday by taking out processions and joining prayers at popular city temples. Party leaders and candidates from the Aam Aadmi Party, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also joined chanting of Hanuman Chalisa.
Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, visited the Hanuman Temple on Baba Kharak Singh Marg to offer prayers and Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva led the statewide Hanuman Chalisa recitation. Follow full coverage of the Lok Sabha elections here. 
Senior Aam Aadmi Party leaders brought out a procession with a man dressed the Hindu god holding replicas of Insulin vials, claiming that the by the blessings of Hanuman Kejriwal got insulin on Tuesday.
The BJP claimed to have held “Hanuman Chalisa Path” at 9,745 locations across the city.
AAP claims divine intervention
Sunita Kejriwal prayed at the Hanuman Temple near Connaught Place at around 1pm. The party said that Arvind Kejriwal used to visit the temple every year on Hanuman Jayanti. “Hanuman baba should give wisdom to everyone, may everyone be blessed, may he remove everyone’s troubles including mine. I will come soon with Sir [Kejriwal],” the party quoted the chief minister’s wife as saying in a X post released through CM’s official media handle. Talking to reporters, while approaching the temple, she said Kejriwal has received insulin with the blessings of Lord Hanuman, and said that she would soon visit the temple with her husband.
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In Chirag Delhi, AAP minister Saurabh Bharadwaj took out “Hanuman Jayanti Shobha Yatra” while carrying a mace with a person dressed up as Hanuman carrying cutouts of insulin vials. “Hanumanji has given the insulin to his devotee Arvind Kejriwal. Tihar jail and the central government denied him [Kejriwal] Insulin but due to Hanuman ji, the chief minister has got insulin. We pray for his good health, long life, may he soon be released,” Bharadwaj told reporters.
Senior AAP leaders and workers ran an online campaign with #KejriwalGetsInslin crediting Hanuman’s blessings which helped Kejriwal get Insulin in Tihar jail.
Over the last two weeks, the AAP functionaries have been alleging that the Tihar administration was denying Insulin to Kejriwal despite his high blood sugar levels.
Delhi minister Atishi said that she visited various Hanuman temples in Kalkaji and participated in the “Bhandara” [community feasts] and prayed to “Bajrang Bali” to keep the the Delhi chief minister healthy. “This holy occasion of Hanuman Jayanti has proved to be very auspicious for the people of Delhi. Due to the prayers of the people of Delhi and the blessings of Bajrang Bali, Kejriwalji finally got Insulin in jail,” she said.
BJP holds programmes across city
In the second half of the day, the Bharatiya Janata Party held a series of “Hanuman Chalisa Path” events with participation of the seven party candidates and senior party leaders at various locations. The celebrations were led by Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva and party incharge of Delhi unit OP Dhankhar at the Hanuman Temple in Connaught Place .
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Dhankhar said every Indian fel proud seeing the “tilak ceremony” of Lord Ram at Ayodhya’s grand Ram Temple. “In the last 10 years, the Narendra Modi government has revitalised the culture, heritage, and traditions of India. India will emerge as a global hub and by 2047, India will be developed nation,” he said.
BJP workers in Delhi recited the Hanuman Chalisa and performed “aarti” at 6pm across 9,745 electoral booths in the city, party leaders said.
Sachdeva said that Delhi has seen corruption in the past few years and development has come to a standstill. The community recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa was organised with the hope for the development and prosperity of Delhi, the Delhi BJP chief said.
BJP’s Lok Sabha candidates also campaigned around Hanuman Jayanti celebrations. North East Delhi candidate Manoj Tiwari participated in a series of six “shobha yatras” at places such as Gokalpuri, Babarpur, New Usmanpur, Tahirpur and Jamna Bazar.
Congress
Congress candidate from Chandni Chowk constituency Jai Prakash Agarwal offered prayers at various temples on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti. Agarwal offered prayers in the morning at the Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place and later at the Marghat Wala Hanuman Mandir near Kashmere Gate ISBT.