The BJP is looking for a sure-win seat for Kiran Bedi in the Delhi elections and the party’s central election committee (CEC) is slated to meet here on Monday to discuss the issue and finalise the names of candidates. The last date for filing nominations by candidates is January 21. Voting will take place on February 7.
The panel, chaired by party president Amit Shah, will also announce a campaign committee for Delhi. It is likely that Kiran Bedi, the new entrant to the party, will head the panel. Among others, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a member of the CEC.
Rather than have her contest from New Delhi, Malviya Nagar or Greater Kailash, the party will look for a safe seat for Ms. Bedi who has been positioned as the ‘face’ of the party in Delhi.
On her part, Shazia Ilmi, the other new entrant, has said that she was not keen to contest but the picture is not clear yet. She will definitely be projected as a Muslim face and will campaign for the party. If she does not contest she will be accommodated in some position of administrative importance.
According to sources, the party has so far finalised almost 52 names for the 70-member Delhi Assembly.
The BJP Delhi unit is constrained by the fact that some of its leading lights such as Harsh Vardhan, Meenakshi Lekhi, Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma and Ramesh Bidhuri have entered the Lok Sabha.
While it is expected that the party will repeat those candidates who lost by a narrow margin, among the new faces will be some ex-Mayors and Councillors. In the last poll, the BJP-Akali Dal alliance had won 32 seats while the AAP was a close second with 28 seats. The Congress was reduced to eight members.
Winning the elections in Delhi is extremely important for the BJP as it will reveal whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi is still a draw or disillusionment has started to set in. Party president Amit Shah has taken hold of the campaign and in his typical style begun addressing karyakartas and booth-level workers.
It has to be seen if a resurgent Aam Aadmi Party becomes a road block for the BJP juggernaut in the Assembly elections after the Lok Sabha polls. The BJP poll panel meeting is likely to be followed by the Parliamentary Board meeting which will review the political situation.
