Arvind Kejriwal hasn’t been given a computer or paper in the lock-up, the sources in the Enforcement Directorate have raised questions over Delhi Minister Atishi’s statement on Chief Minister’s first order from the probe agency custody.

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate or ED on Thursday in connection with the Delhi liquor policy-linked money laundering case after searches at his official residence in the Civil Lines area of the national capital. A court on Friday sent him to the central agency’s custody till March 28.

Delhi Water Minister Atishi, in a press conference this morning, said that Mr Kejriwal has issued his first direction from the Enforcement Directorate custody on running the city government, instructing to solve water- and sewer-related problems in some areas of the national capital.

“Neither any computer nor paper has been given to Arvind Kejriwal from the ED headquarters,” the sources claimed. “We are probing this,” they added.

Atishi said the directions, received late on Saturday, brought tears to her eyes: “I kept thinking who is this man, who is in prison, but is still thinking about Delhi residents’ water and sewage problems. Only Arvind Kejriwal can do this because he considers himself a family member of Delhi’s 2 crore people.”

Suggesting a link between Mr Kejriwal’s meeting with his wife yesterday and the order on water issues, the probe agency sources said, “Sunita Kejriwal met him in the ED headquarters. We are investigating.”

Sunita Kejriwal met the Delhi Chief Minister last evening at the ED office. With some papers in hand, she was seen exiting the ED office and boarding a car with some staff.

The Delhi BJP, meanwhile, has called his instruction from ED custody to the Water Minister “scripted”.

The AAP chief’s arrest sparked protests by the party workers in the national capital. His ministers have insisted that he will not resign and serve his duties from the jail.

The 55-year-old earlier ignored nine summonses from the central agency that investigates money laundering. Three of his party colleagues – Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and Vijay Nair – are already in jail waiting trial in the same case.

The Delhi liquor policy case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped.

Mr Kejriwal’s name has been mentioned multiple times in the charge sheets filed by the ED in this case. The agency has alleged that the accused were in touch with him for formulating the excise policy that resulted in undue benefits to them in return for which they paid kickbacks to the AAP.

Last week, Zimba had stated that he would run as an Independent candidate for the Darjeeling seat if BJP MP Raju Bista was not given a BJP ticket

Uttar Pradesh Minister Jitin Prasada, who crossed over from the Congress to the BJP two years ago, was today named the BJP’s candidate for Pilibhit Lok Sabha constituency, replacing Varun Gandhi. 

Pilibhit has been represented by Varun Gandhi’s mother Maneka Gandhi or him for over two decades.

The BJP, however, renominated former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi from Sultanpur constituency as it released its fifth list of 111 names for the polls.  

Mr Prasada, who was a minister twice in the Manmohan Singh-led Congress government and was considered one of Rahul Gandhi’s top aides, lost three elections on the trot – the 2014 and 2019 national elections and the UP assembly polls in 2017.

Varun Gandhi, in his debut contest in 2009, won Pilibhit decisively with 4.19 lakh votes. His subsequent wins in 2014 and 2019 further cemented the family’s political dominance.

Mr Gandhi, 44, a writer and a poet, had been attacking his own party and government policies in the past few years. 

In another development, the BJP has fielded Atul Garg from Ghaziabad and dropped sitting MP and Union Minister V K Singh. Shortly before the list was announced, Mr Singh said in a post on X that he will not contest the polls.

This is the second list of candidates from UP released by the BJP for the Lok Sabha elections. The party is yet to declare its candidate for the Raebareli Lok Sabha seat.

In Budaun, the party has announced the name of Durvijay Singh Shakya, overlooking its current MP Sanghamitra Maurya.

In Bareilly, the party has replaced sitting MP Santosh Gangwar and given the ticket to Chattrapal Singh Gangwar.

The party has announced Raghav Lakhanpal as its nominee from Saharanpur, Sarvesh Singh from Moradabad and Satish Gautam from Aligarh seats.