Gandhinagar: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Thursday, April 2, 2026, alleging a pre-planned conspiracy to cripple his party ahead of the upcoming local body elections. Citing a “systematic crackdown,” Kejriwal claimed that 145 FIRs have been registered and over 160 AAP workers arrested in the state over the last three months. He sought an urgent meeting with Patel, alongside Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, to discuss what he described as state-sponsored “atrocities” against political volunteers.
The letter comes just a day after the State Election Commission announced that voting for 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, and over 300 panchayats will be held on April 26. Kejriwal alleged that the BJP-led government has a blueprint to arrest as many as 10,000 party workers in the coming weeks to prevent the AAP from fielding candidates or campaigning effectively. He pointed to specific incidents in Khambhalia, Porbandar, and Jamnagar within the last 48 hours, where he claimed AAP workers were assaulted and subsequently booked under serious charges like “attempt to murder” based on complaints from the attackers themselves.
Adding to the allegations, Kejriwal stated that police personnel have been visiting the private residences of AAP karyakartas to issue threats, pressuring them and their families to leave Gujarat or face severe legal consequences. The former Delhi Chief Minister questioned the sanctity of the electoral process, asking how free and fair polls could be conducted if opposition voices were systematically silenced through the “misuse of police machinery.” He asserted that the BJP is “rattled” by the AAP’s growing popularity and is attempting to win the elections by default through intimidation.
The Gujarat AAP unit, led by Isudan Gadhvi, corroborated these claims, stating that the party is being targeted because it has emerged as a “fearless and patriotic” alternative to the decades-long BJP rule. Gadhvi recently reported that his team was taken into custody in Khambhalia while protesting the unjust arrest of a local worker. As the state prepares for the multi-cornered contest on April 26, the AAP leadership has vowed to continue its fight for farmers and labourers, even if it means facing further mass arrests.
