Delhi Assembly Election 2025: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday formally launched the registration campaign for the 'Pujari-Granthi Samman Yojana'. Accompanied by his wife, Kejriwal visited the 'Marghat Wale Baba Temple' (ISBT), offering prayers and seeking blessings from Lord Hanuman. As part of the initiative, the AAP chief personally registered the temple’s Mahant under the scheme, marking the commencement of its state-wide rollout.
What is Pujari-Granthi Samman Yojana?
The 'Pujari-Granthi Samman Yojana' was launched by the AAP chief on Monday, ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in the national capital. Under this scheme, Kejriwal promised to give a monthly honorarium of Rs 18,000 for Hindu temple priests and Gurudwara granthis in the city after his party returns to power in Delhi. "Pujaris and granthis are an important part of our society, but they are often a neglected section. For the first time in the country, we are introducing a scheme to support them, under which they will receive a monthly allowance of Rs 18,000," Kejriwal had said while addressing the media on Monday.
BJP, Congress' reactions on scheme
Meanwhile, several Imams and Muazzins of the Waqf Board-registered mosques protested near Kejriwal's residence, demanding their salaries allegedly pending for the last 17 months. The AAP government pays monthly Rs 18,000 to Imams and Rs 16,000 to Muazzins of mosques registered with the Delhi Waqf Board. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has dubbed the announcement a "political stunt", while the Congress termed it a "trickery" by Kejriwal, saying Imams of mosques in the city were protesting outside his residence, demanding payment of their salaries allegedly pending for 17 months.
Delhi Assembly Elections 2025
The Legislative Assembly elections of Delhi for all 70 constituencies are scheduled to be held on or before February 2025. The previous Assembly elections were held in February 2020. After the election, the Aam Aadmi Party formed the state government, with Arvind Kejriwal becoming Chief Minister for a third term. The tenure of the 7th Delhi Assembly is scheduled to end on 15 February 2025.
