Assam win halts plan to find new Delhi BJP chief

Sources say appointment of a new head was expected as early as Monday

A disappointing dip in its share of seats in the recently concluded municipal by-polls was supposed to hasten a change at the helm of the Delhi BJP.

The process, which some insiders claimed was “inevitable but expected to be a protracted one” was denied as “even a possibility” by another section.

Be that as it may, earlier this week, the unit had been told to sit tight till a “significant change of guard at the highest levels of the party’s leadership at the Centre” in the run-up to the Assam general assembly results were declared.

This, even as those associated with its local affairs had been directed to search for a leader “capable of effectively handling the transformed demographics of the electorate”, which roughly meant junking the

baniya-punjabi formula in favour of “someone with public connect”.

Performance

The chief reason for this was the party's performance in by-polls to 13 wards last week, that were being viewed as the “semi-final” to next year's elections to the three municipal bodies.

The party managed to win just three wards despite the largest vote share, which was recorded at 34.11 percent being attributed to “a strategy failure”.

According to a party source, however, 86 of the 126 seats in Assam being polled in the party's favour in Assam “have put changes on hold” at least for the moment.

“Discussion on the issue, we were told, would only follow the declaration of results of the Assam general elections; so much so that, initially, the appointment of a new chief was expected by Monday,” a source said.

“But in the wake of the party's win, the topic hasn't even been broached let alone scheduled for discussion over the weekend which was expected. There is even talk of the current leadership structure being allowed to continue in place,” the source added.

Prominent hand to rise

However, if and when a change at the party's local leadership took place – what with the names of several prominent party functionaries each of whom is being pipped as the next chief due to one reason or another – doing the rounds, organisational skills and not just public appeal play a major role.

The party may, according to an insider, also see the emergence of a prominent party hand so far associated with its behind the scene strategies.

Poor performance in the municipal by-polls was supposed to hasten change at the helm