Delhi Elections: BJP labels Kejriwal as 'Mogambo,' AAP retaliates with spoof video

In the build-up to the Delhi Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have escalated their rivalry through a heated and creative poster war, using Bollywood-inspired visuals and satirical content to influence voters.

The BJP's latest move came on Monday with a poster portraying AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal as Mogambo, the iconic villain from the 1980 Bollywood classic Mr. India, originally played by Amrish Puri.

AAP का पूर्वांचल विरोधी चेहरा पूरे देश के सामने बेनक़ाब हो चुका है !

दिल्ली में रह रहे यूपी-बिहार के लोग अरविंद केजरीवाल के लिए फर्जी। लेकिन रोहिंग्या और बांग्लादेशी घुसपैठिये इनके यार? pic.twitter.com/xko2GAdLPL

— BJP Delhi (@BJP4Delhi) January 13, 2025

Captioned “Purvanchaliyon se Nafrat ki Aag” (Hatred against people from Purvanchal), the poster accuses Kejriwal of disrespecting the Purvanchali community by allegedly labeling some voters as "fake."

The Purvanchali vote bank has become a significant battleground for both parties in Delhi. The BJP also alleged that AAP prioritizes illegal settlements of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis over Delhi’s Purvanchali residents.

"AAP's anti-Purvanchal face has been exposed before the nation. People from UP-Bihar living in Delhi are fake for Arvind Kejriwal. But are Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators his friends?" read the BJP’s poster.

In response, AAP launched its own satirical counterattack, releasing a parody video referencing the 1996 film Diljale. Shared on X, the video used a fictional conversation between Amrish Puri’s character Dara and a deepfake of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

दिल्ली में हार सामने देख,
BJP के हाथ-पैर फूले 😳🔥 pic.twitter.com/01RxORlkIx

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) January 13, 2025

The video mocks the BJP for lacking a Chief Ministerial candidate in Delhi. “Dulha kahaan hai, vision kahaan hai, sirf gaaliyan hain. Dilli mein Kejriwal ne kaam karke dikhaya hai aur tumne sirf gaaliyan di hain,” Dara's character says, translating to, “Where is the groom, where is the vision? There are only abuses. Kejriwal has worked for Delhi, but you’ve only hurled insults.”

This creative exchange is part of a larger "poster-video war" between the two parties, which have been using satirical content and Bollywood imagery to engage voters on social media platforms.

Earlier, AAP targeted BJP candidate Ramesh Bidhuri with a poster casting him as a villain from Bahubali 1, branding him the “CM face of the abusive party.” The BJP fired back, labeling Kejriwal as “Sheeshmahal wale AAP-da-e-aazam,” a dig at the alleged extravagant renovations of his official residence.

As Delhi prepares for its 70-member assembly elections scheduled on February 5, with results to be announced on February 8, the ongoing war of words and visuals has added an intense and theatrical layer to the campaign.