Nadda asks Delhi unit to begin preparations
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership in Delhi has got clear indications of early Assembly election in the national Capital. While the BJP national leadership appointed Union Minister Prakash Javadekar poll incharge for Delhi, its working president JP Nadda has reportedly asked Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari to begin preparations for Assembly polls in full swing.
Sources in the party high command said Delhi Assembly polls, scheduled for January next year, could be held simultaneously with elections in Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra in October-November this year as top brass believe that public mood is in favour of the BJP, particularly after abrogation of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu & Kashmir.
The possibility of early election is also backed by the fact that One Nation One Election is next on BJP’s card and the Prime Minister.
The BJP leadership has appointed Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and Nityanand Rai as co-incharges for the Delhi elections. “Appointment of Puri is crucial for BJP as being the Urban Affairs Minister he is already dealing with critical issues like regularisation of unauthorized colonies and sealing in Delhi. Rai, on the other hand, hails from Bihar and Delhi has a sizable population of poorvanchalis,” said a BJP leader.
Javadekar, a senior leader and a strategist, will be facing the biggest task of keeping the faction-ridden state BJP unit united during the polls. This assumes significance in wake of displeasure within the BJP ranks since appointment of Manoj Tiwari, a poorvanchali, the state unit president in 2016. On his appointment, Javadekar, who was earlier in-charge of assembly polls and Lok sabha elections for Rajasthan, said he will discharge his responsibility with dedication and will prepare plans for the Delhi polls after consulting party president and other leaders.
Nadda reportedly discussed BJP’s strategy to take on the Kejriwal government in Delhi.
The BJP is out of power in Delhi since 1998. The BJP had first formed the government in Delhi way back in 1993 with late Madan Lal Khurana as the chief minister. Since then, the BJP lost three successive polls to Congress. In 2013, BJP emerged as the largest party but fell short of the majority and AAP formed the government with support of the Congress. After the fall of Kejriwal’s 49-day government, assembly was dissolved and fresh elections were held in 2015 where AAP bagged a whopping 67 of the 70 seats in Delhi.
According to sources, Nadda also discussed the freebies being announced by the AAP government essentially aimed at wooing the lower and the middle class votes. The BJP leaders have also been told to come up with a strong case against the government while also countering the freebies announced by the government. In the meeting it was decided that the Delhi BJP will prepare a list of services that it can provide to citizen free of cost after coming to power. After facing humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi, Kejriwal government announced free metro and DTC travel for women. The government also announced 200-units free electricity for Delhiites and reduced fixed power charges.
The state unit has, however, been told to keep the campaign centred round the development works of Narendra Modi government and highlight the failures of Kejriwal government in implementing central government schemes in Delhi like the Ayushman Bharata health insurance scheme.