Eagerly awaiting the by-polls, which it is confident will add “significantly” to its numbers in the Delhi Assembly, the city unit of the BJP has begun identifying faces that it intends to field in 21 Assembly Constituencies — currently represented by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs who are embroiled in the office-of-profit controversy.
A verdict by the Election Commission is pending in the case, which will decide if the seats go to the polls.
A senior party leader said that the by-polls may be held either in late December or early January and added that the party was confident of securing at least 10 to 12 seats.
He further said that the BJP was also taking the revival of the Congress — due to the polls — as a given, and this had playeda crucial role in moulding its strategy towards wooing SC/ST and Poorvanchali voters.
‘JJ colonies are key’
Party sources told The Hindu that snap polls in the Capital had repeatedly, and routinely, figured on the agenda for discussion at meets since July, followed immediately by the reconstitution of the core committee overseeing poll-related affairs entrusted with simultaneously identifying candidates for the by-polls and municipal elections, in that order.
Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay, while speaking at the Chandni Chowk Executive Meeting last week, had urged attendees “to be prepared not only for the municipal elections but also for the Assembly elections” as the Capital was heading towards a “Constitutional crisis” pending the decision by the EC regarding the appointment of 21 AAP MLAs as Parliamentary Secretaries.
A party source said that poll-related deliberations had revealed that the he party was “comfortably placed” at municipal wards and constituencies predominantly inhabited by the middle-class and the trader community such as Chandni Chowk, Rohini, Jangpura, Laxmi Nagar, Krishna Nagar and Shalimar Bagh, for instance.
Jhuggi Jhopri (JJ) Clusters such as Bawana, Sultanpur, Mongolpuri and Ambedkar Nagar, however, were a different story and needed to be “concentrated upon”.
“JJ Clusters are being paid special attention, given the fact that the SC/ST and poorvanchali vote-bank concentrated here has traditionally been a Congress stronghold and voters identify more with caste-based instead of issue-based politics,” said a party leader.
“Last time, however, the AAP was able to wrest control of such constituencies from the Congress, especially the poorvanchali vote-bank; our SC/ST and Poorvanchali Morchas have been directed to work extra hard in such areas,” the leader added.
Morchas galore
The party’s SC/ST Morcha is scheduled to hold a Sammelan at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Indoor Stadium on Sunday where it aims to induct an estimated 7,000 members, aged between 18 to 35 years, as regular party cadre.
A similar program, a party leader said, by the Poorvanchal Morcha will soon follow.
“The event will be attended by leaders and candidates who contested from the twelve reserved Assembly Constituencies last year. They will guide the new cadre on furthering the party’s interests. The Poorvanchal Morcha too will be activated with the same objective,” the leader said.
Party confident it will win 10 to 12 seats; says possibility of snap polls was being considered since July
