A day before assuming office, the newly-appointed president of the Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party Satish Upadhyay said he was committed to his responsibilities as a councillor.
Addressing councillors at the concluding day of the workshop organised for municipal councillors here, Mr. Upadhyay said it was only possible in the BJP that a person from an ordinary, non-political family and rising from student politics becomes the party president. “I will work for the party taking along all the party leaders and workers giving full respect to them,” he said. Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Upadhyay’s appointment is also a move away from appointing either a Punjabi or Baniya person as the president of the State unit as the case has been so far.
Mr. Upadhyay interacted with journalists at the venue of the workshop on Wednesday and said his priority was to strengthen the party and carry forward the mandate given to the BJP. The 52-year-old councillor from Malviya Nagar said he was “ready to usher in a positive change in the party’s organisational structure” with the State unit of the BJP having been criticised due to various factions within its ranks.
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Further, Mr. Upadhyay said he will work towards maintaining discipline within the party. “Our priority is to keep the organisation united and taking everyone along,” he said. He hinted at an organisational re-jig in the State-unit and said there was an urgent need for changes to ensure better delivery of services to citizens.
The new Delhi BJP chief was, however, tight-lipped on whether the BJP will opt for fresh elections. “The matter will be discussed with all party MLAs in Delhi and the office-bearers. Their opinion will be conveyed to the Central leadership and a decision will be taken accordingly,” he said.
Like his predecessor Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Mr. Upadhyay also said he did not have a personal view on the issue and that he will adopt the party’s view.
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On Wednesday, the BJP appointed Amit Shah as its national president which saw party workers throng the Delhi BJP office on Pant Marg in celebration of getting new presidents for both the State and national units. Sweets were distributed, fireworks were burst and battery-operated rickshaws were organised to transport party workers from the State headquarters to the party headquarters at Ashoka Road.