Ahead of consecutive polls battles in 2019 and 2020 in Delhi, the State BJP in the Capital is exploring a new demographic equation comprising Baniya and Purvanchalis community.
Interestingly, at time incumbent Delhi BJP president and Bhojpuri superstar Manoj Tiwari remains undisputed leader of the purvanchalis, Union Minister and a Delhi BJP veterans,Vijay Goel is projecting himself as the new mass leader of baniya and purvanchali combine.
Exploring political roadmap for Delhi, Goel made his intention very clear in the presence of party president Amit Shah and Manoj Tiwari as he addressed party workers in Bjhojpuri language — the effective tool to connect to large Puravanchali population from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
While addressing BJP booth workers in Delhi on December 23, in which Shah and other senior BJP leaders were present, Goel , who comes from Baniya community, sought to strike a chord with the dominant purvanchali lobby in the party, saying, ."jab tak vijay bhaiya ba, kauno ke majaal naikhe ki poorvanchal ke bhai logan ke baal bhi banka kar sake, (nobody in Delhi could dare cause even a little harm to any purvanchali in Delhi as long as Vijay Bhaiya was there)."
Recalling his years-long agitation to bring lottery to end, Goel, said that people living in slums still remembered him for this."
"Jab hum jhuggi jhopdi me jayeen, aur sunai padela ki Vijay bhaiya dilli me lottery khatm kar dela, uu kabi bhulayi na jayee, hamra man gadgad ho jayee" (It fills me with immense joy and pride when I see people remembering the struggle of Vijay bhaiya to bring lottery to an end in Delhi).
Goel also mentioned about BJP’s purvanchali leader and said, "jab hamara Manoj Tiwari bhaiya bhi baitha hua, (not to forget, Manoj Tiwari bhaiya is also here in Delhi ), Goel said in Bhojpuri.
Feeling connected with Goel, BJP workers too applauded him with loud cheers as BJP president Amit Shah smiled at the surprise sprung by Goel.
Meanwhile, Goel also admitted that exploring new political equations at this time was crucial for Delhi BJP as the party is already facing ire of the trading community in wake of demonetisation, implementation of GST and the sealing drive in Delhi.
Remarkably, Goel's Bhojpuri short speech has great significance in wake of the Arvind Kejrial-led Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP) making inroads in the baniya vote bank, which has so far been the BJP's forte.
Pertinently, to appease ten per cent baniya voters in Delhi, Kejriwal had appointed two leaders — ND Gupta and Sushil Gupta from baniya community, to Rajya Sabha.
Sources in Delhi BJP also claimed that Goel, currently a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan, was eyeing the Lok Sabha ticket in 2019 from Chandni Chowk constituency essentially to make a comeback in Delhi politics.