Delhi BJP leaders put in charge of planning national convention

Event to be held on January 11-12; 3,000 hotel rooms booked

From overseeing decorations, including preparation of rangolis, to organising pick-up arrangements from the airport and railway stations, senior officer-bearers of the Delhi BJP have been put in charge of 24 crack teams for the party’s upcoming national convention at Ramlila Maidan.

Party sources said 2,000 workers will oversee arrangements for the event, intended to be a show of strength in the run-up to the Lok Sabha election. The event will be held on January 11-12 and will host an estimated 12,000 attendees.

As many as 3,000 hotel rooms have been booked for select attendees; the rest will stay in State bhavans.

In addition to makeshift offices for the Prime Minister and senior party leaders, arrangement for CMs of States have been made so they can carry on government duties while in Delhi, said a source.

“This is a party event. Given the magnitude of attendees, there is a need for a dedicated team of workers to deliver these facilities,” a party source said.

Among the 24 in-charges are former Delhi MLA Mahendra Nagpal, who will oversee interior decoration for the event, and Kuljeet Singh Chahal, general secretary of the Delhi BJP, who will oversee accommodation. BJP North-East Delhi chief Ajay Mahawar will be in charge of

rangoli .

Former Mayors Subhash Arya and Ravinder Gupta, incumbent leaders of the civic bodies Shikha Rai, Bipin Bihari and Adesh Kumar Gupta have also been given responsibilities such as setting up facilities for drinking water and sanitation.

A source said the event would see office-bearers from general secretaries and State chiefs down to district presidents coming face-to-face with national leaders.

The event was not part of the publicity blitz that the party had planned on weekends and was scheduled in the wake of the BJP’s defeat in the Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan Assembly elections.