Assembly polls: BJP expecting a two-way contest

Party conducting surveys to determine the course and strategy for its campaign

Two ongoing surveys will determine the course of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s campaign and strategy for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections scheduled early next year.

An insider said these surveys, conducted by independent agencies, focus specifically on identifying the “failures of the Aam Aadmi Party government”.

‘Minimal interference’

It is also an admission of the fact that the State elections were being viewed mainly as a bipolar contest between the BJP and AAP with minimal “interference” expected from other players like the Congress, the insider added.

While the larger among the two surveys was a pan-Delhi one, which is currently under way across all 70 Assembly constituencies, the other seeks to identify loopholes in the government’s flagship power and water subsidy schemes in unauthorised colonies.

“The poorest of the poor staying on rent in unauthorised colonies are accruing zero benefits from the government’s power and water subsidies because electricity and water meters are not in their names. So much for the government’s claims of making the lives of those staying in such colonies better,” said Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari.

“Innumerable people from these colonies have approached us and continue to approach on a daily basis to flag the issue and pledge support to the BJP,” Mr. Tiwari added.

Neelkant Bakshi, Head Media Relations, Co-Incharge Media, Social Media & IT, Delhi BJP, said the results of the survey were expected shortly.

“In a city where a majority of citizens happen to be tenants, the so-called benefits of water and power subsidies are being reaped only by landlords. The BJP will ensure that the government is held accountable for this,” Mr. Bakshi said.

Meanwhile, the pan-city survey, which is being conducted revolves around the general level of satisfaction that citizens feel in relation to the government and seeks to identify specific issues which will help shape the BJP’s campaign to stake claim to the Chief Minister’s chair.

The results are expected by mid-October but could also be in by the end of September, said sources.

“The issues identified will form the core of the party’s strategy to canvass support as well as inform citizens about the specific failures of the AAP, which will be communicated to every nook and cranny of the city by party cadre down to the booth-level,” said Delhi BJP In-charge of Media, Social Media & IT Cell Pratyush Kanth.