With just a week in hand and opinion polls predicting a keen contest in the February 7 Delhi Assembly polls, the BJP is taking no chances and has fielded its top guns to counter the Aam Aadmi Party’s campaign and mobilise its own cadre.
In the coming days, the BJP will unleash a high-pitched campaign by roping in party stalwarts, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Ministers and a bevy of Union Ministers. The party’s national leadership has taken over poll management from the State unit and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is looking after the overall preparations.
“Union Ministers have taken charge of back-end poll preparations. The top leadership does not want to take any chance and the mission is to get 50 seats at any cost. Delhi election is extremely important for the party,” said a senior party leader.
A day after US President Barack Obama left Delhi the party on Wednesday started intensive electioneering. While Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani campaigned in Bawana, Rithala and Mundka, Haryana Chief Minister addressed rallies in Bijwasan and Delhi Cantonment.
In order to reach out to the middle and upper middle class voters, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj campaigned in RK Puram and Mehrauli. The party’s chief ministerial nominee Kiran Bedi has been on her toes, campaigning on foot and addressing rallies not only in her constituency Krishna Nagar, but also across other segments.
Union Ministers and other important faces will continue to rally in various constituencies across the Capital, a move to counter the aggressive campaigning being carried out by its arch-rival, the AAP.
On Thursday, the party has a power-packed schedule of rallies where three-time MP and popular BJP face Navjot Singh Sidhu will woo urban voters and Punjabis in seats like RK Puram, Palam and Delhi Cantonment and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan would be addressing the residents of Karol Bagh and Wazirpur.
The party has also finished one round of pamphlet distribution. “We will have a total of four rounds of door-to-door pamphlet distribution. One round is over and the next shall be on February 2, 4 and 6,” said Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay.
Jaitley along with other Union Ministers and State Election Committee members will hold daily meetings at Delhi BJP’s office on Pant Marg. Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Nirmala Sitharaman, is managing the media and online campaigns, whereas, Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal has been asked to look over Chandni Chowk district where the party has won only once in Assembly polls.
Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is managing the crucial New Delhi district while Union Health Minister JP Nadda is handling preparations in Karol Bagh district where the party won just two seats-Rajinder Nagar and Moti Nagar. The party has assigned 14 Union Ministers to oversee one district each.