BJP chalks out strategy for ‘a possible mid-term election’ in Capital

Party’s Delhi unit chief Manoj Tiwari says poll panel has shown AAP the mirror; chairs multiple meetings

Enthused by the possibility of bypolls following the Election Commission’s recommendation to the President to disqualify 20 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators for holding offices of profit, the Delhi BJP on Friday held a series of meetings to discuss its strategy.

Party sources said multiple meetings were chaired by Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari to chalk out the plan not just for by-elections but also “a possible mid-term election” in the Capital.

A series of such meetings have been planned over the weekend.

‘Truth must prevail’

“Though it [the Election Commission’s decision] is a little late, by around 20 months to be precise, justice delayed is justice denied but the truth must, and always does, prevail. We welcome this development. Delhi has suffered a lot in these 20 months and now we are ready for by-elections to right the AAP government’s wrongs,” Mr. Tiwari said.

Support for BJP

Daring him to pave the way for fresh Assembly polls in the Capital, what with having forfeited the “moral right to continue in government,” Mr. Tiwari, who participated in several pre-scheduled public meetings during the day, claimed there was a palpable groundswell of support for the BJP.

“Had the Election Commission verdict come 20 months ago, the Aam Aadmi Party would have been wiped out entirety in each of the 20 Assembly constituencies in question. We firmly believe that the BJP will do very well in these constituencies now,” he said.

Conceding, however, that the Arvind Kejriwal’s government will still “not be under threat” even if the BJP wrests control of the 20 Assembly constituencies in question, Mr. Tiwari said in his view the party’s performance in the bypolls would be “good enough to ensure that the Opposition was able to raise its voice more effectively” in the Delhi Legislative Assembly.

Number game

“So far, the AAP government, because of the number of its MLAs in the Assembly, has effectively been able to draw out the collective voice of the four-member Opposition, but, this will not be the case any longer,” he said.

‘EC has shown mirror’

“This [AAP] government thought that the law of the land was a toy, but the Election Commission has shown them the mirror. We are ready for by-elections; let’s see how many Opposition members they get marshalled out from the Assembly once our numbers grow there,” he added.