The BJP may repeat its strategy of denying tickets to sitting councillors, as it did in Delhi municipal corporation polls, in Uttar Pradesh for the civic body elections in the State.
Buoyed by the BJP’s victory in MCD polls in Delhi, where it won a third consecutive term, insiders say the party may partially adopt the same strategy in the face of a potential anti-incumbency factor, which may play spoilsport in UP.
The elections to the urban local bodies are due in a couple of months, with the results expected by July 15, according to a state election commission official.
According to Ashwini Upadhyay, the Delhi unit spokesperson of the BJP, in the MCD elections out of 185 corporators, as many as 181 are first timers.
“The party gave tickets to 262 first timers in the MCD polls out of the 270 seats it contested,” Upadhyay said.
He said the average age of the newly-elected BJP corporator in Delhi is 39, while the youngest being only 25.
Notably, during the BJP’s national executive in Odisha recently, party national president Amit Shah had asserted that its “golden era” would arrive when it rules across the country, from panchayats to Parliament.
A senior UP BJP leader associated with the preparation of the civic elections in the state said the party has started its preparations for the civic polls.
“It will give priority to youngsters and may adopt the MCD poll strategy to not only beat the anti-incumbency factor, but also better its tally,” the leader said.
He went on to say that if the party decides to follow the MCD poll strategy, then many sitting corporators who had been winning in the past few elections may not get tickets this time.
