Mumbai, March 22 (IANS): Nationalist Congress Party(SP) President Sharad Pawar on Friday condemned the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and said the Aam Aadmi Party will sweep the Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking to the media, Sharad Pawar reiterated how the Central investigation agencies were being used against Opposition political parties and their leaders, and flayed the nabbing of CM Kejriwal late Thursday evening.

He pointed out that when CM Kejriwal was harassed in a similar manner, he had made a clean sweep of the Delhi Assembly elections on two occasions (2015 and 2020), and predicted that even this time the AAP will get the sympathy votes in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.

To a query, Pawar, 83, categorically stated that he will not contest the upcoming parliamentary elections, as speculated in some quarters.

On the question of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) likely to join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA, Pawar said it may contest a couple of seats which won’t make much difference.

Pawar’s comments came this morning after CM Kejriwal’s arrest in an alleged excise scam case sent shockwaves in the Opposition circles across India and evoked strong criticism.