Delhi BJP Holds “Atal Smriti Sammelans” Across 23 Assembly Constituencies

The Delhi BJP on Saturday organised “Atal Smriti Sammelans” in 23 Assembly constituencies across the Capital. The move aims to connect voters with the late leader’s political and governance legacy. The event was organised as part of the birth centenary year celebrations of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The outreach events, held simultaneously in different parts of Delhi, were addressed by senior BJP leaders, Union ministers, Delhi Government ministers, MPs, MLAs and party office-bearers. The party said the Sammelans are part of a larger plan to hold similar programmes in all 70 Assembly constituencies between December 25 and 31.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said Vajpayee was among the most enlightened statesmen of independent India and that the foundations of “today’s progressive India” were laid during his tenure as prime minister. “Atal ji taught the country how politics could be conducted with dignity, dialogue and consensus,” Sachdeva said while addressing the Sammelan in the Jangpura Assembly constituency.

According to BJP leaders, the series was formally inaugurated on December 25 by BJP National Executive President Nitin Naveen at Kasturba Nagar. Party functionaries said the programme aims to familiarise younger voters with Vajpayee’s life, ideas and key policy decisions at a time when many have only read about his era in textbooks.

Saturday’s Sammelans saw a widespread of senior leaders fan out across Delhi. Former Union minister Harsh Vardhan addressed the Shahdara constituency, while former Governor Jagdish Mukhi spoke in Dwarka. Ministers Pravesh Sahib Singh and Ashish Sood addressed gatherings in Matiala and Janakpuri, respectively. MPs Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and Yogendra Chandolia addressed events in Palam, Badarpur, Kirari and Mangolpuri, among other constituencies.

Speaking at different venues, leaders highlighted Vajpayee’s political journey from journalism to the Prime Minister’s Office and his role in shaping the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and later the BJP. They recalled his three terms as prime minister, including the full five-year tenure from 1999 to 2004, which they described as a period of stability and reform.

Leaders repeatedly cited Vajpayee’s landmark decisions, such as the Pokhran nuclear tests, the Golden Quadrilateral highway project, the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and the 1999 telecom policy. His Lahore bus diplomacy, speech in Hindi at the United Nations and emphasis on consensus politics were also highlighted.

Several speakers underlined policies linked to social inclusion, including the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and steps taken to expand education and infrastructure in rural India. Party leaders said these initiatives continue to shape India’s growth trajectory.

Sachdeva said Vajpayee’s leadership showed that strong national security and inclusive development could go hand in hand. “He believed power was a means to serve, not to dominate,” he said, adding that the BJP sees the Sammelans as a way to remind citizens of that approach.

The BJP said the remaining 47 constituencies will host Atal Smriti Sammelans over the next three days. Party leaders indicated the programmes are also meant to energise workers at the booth level and sharpen the party’s narrative around governance and nationalism ahead of future political battles in the capital.

For many attendees, especially older residents, the events revived memories of a leader known for restraint and oratory. For younger participants, the Sammelans served as a crash course in a political era defined by coalition politics, infrastructure push and measured statesmanship.