Though Bedi was to cover five Assembly segments in Northeast Delhi, she managed only three. Though Bedi was to cover five Assembly segments in Northeast Delhi, she managed only three.

From an injury to a party worker to a car catching fire due to bursting of crackers, a series of slip-ups marred the first roadshow of BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi in the Northeast parliamentary constituency.

Bedi arrived 40 minutes ahead of her schedule at 5 pm at Batra Cinema. Supporters had only just begun queuing up and it took nearly an hour for the roadshow to start.

Beginning her campaign from Timarpur, the first hurdle that the CM candidate faced was malfunctioning microphones. While most of her speech at five spots in the constituency was dominated by “bahaut kaam karoongi aapke liye” (I will work a lot for you), it was MP Manoj Tiwari who stole the show, with the former Bhojpuri actor and singer breaking into song every now and then.

After singing excerpts from his latest release — a song on the Ganga — Tiwari said, “My image is such that whoever sees me, asks me to sing. I can’t refuse.”

An hour into the roadshow, as she made her way through Kingsway Camp, an Audi carrying lookalikes of Narendra Modi and Ramdev passed by and the crowd began chasing them. Bedi’s jeep was left to play catch-up.

Just as Bedi, who was travelling with Timarpur candidate Rajni Abbi, was left wondering who these supporters were, Abbi’s relative, who was leading the jeep, came under the wheels of the vehicle. Abbi’s husband Bharat Bhushan, a retired professor of Hansraj College, said, “He is my nephew Anjay. He was injured and was administered first-aid immediately.”

To onlookers, however, the scene was a little different. Barely after he was hit by the jeep, Bedi’s vehicle moved ahead not stopping to even find out what had happened. It was a while before a few supporters managed to lift Anjay and rush him to the nearest nursing home.

A little ahead, Bedi stopped her campaign abruptly around 5.30 pm. Speaking to mediapersons later, Abbi said, “The time was up and we have to end the campaigning here.”

As Bedi entered Seelampur, her second constituency in the roadshow, supporters began bursting crackers. Such was the display that a Chevrolet Beat, parked on the roadside, caught fire.

While no one was injured, the car’s owner Ajay Gupta, a printing press owner in Seelampur, said, “My car is completely damaged. The tyres, engine and seats are all burnt. I was at my office when the incident happened. Why did they have to burst crackers at a roadshow? We have filed an FIR at the Jaffrabad police station against unknown persons. The damage caused was unintentional, but no one stopped to enquire or offer help.”

To add to the faux pas, although the Delhi BJP in a press statement said Bedi would be covering five constituencies, including Karawal Nagar and Burari, she managed only three. Despite repeated attempts to reach her, Bedi was not available for comment.

Auto posters: Bedi sends legal notice to AAP

BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi served a legal notice on the AAP on Tuesday and has demanded that the AAP remove posters, containing photos of her in which she is described as an “opportunist”, within 24 hours.

Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay said by making such indecent comments about Bedi, Kejriwal has shown that he does not respect women. Misusing Bedi’s pictures shows that he does not respect any law, Upadhyay said.

When asked about the legal notice, Bedi said since Kejriwal has not sought her permission to use her photos, it amounted to defamation.

Upadhyay said, “Showing the results of opinion polls on the three-wheelers (auto-rickshaws) is a violation of the model code of conduct. Playing the soundtrack of his oath-taking ceremony in 2013 on FM radio channels is also a violation. Asking people to take money from any party and vote for the AAP is not only a violation of the model code but also an insult to the voters for which legal action should be taken.”

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