BJP brings out 'top guns' to ensure bypolls win in Delhi

NEW DELHI: The Delhi BJP is not leaving any stone unturned to win the upcoming by-elections in five wards. It has appointed senior leaders including three MLAs to oversee polls management. 

Delhi BJP general secretary Harsh Malhotra on Friday said that the by-elections would be contested based on local issues. To ensure victory on all five seats, the state leadership had formed a five-member team for election management.

The BJP has already appointed in-charge and co-in-charge for each ward for ground-level preparations.

The by-elections in five municipal wards—Rohini C and Shalimar Bagh North under the North Delhi Municipal Corporation and Trilokpuri, Kalyanpuri and Chauhan Bangar in the East Delhi Municipal Corporation—will take place on February 28.

“Ghonda MLA Ajay Mahawar will look after Chauhan Bangar ward while Laxmi Nagar MLA Abhay Kumar Verma has been given the responsibility of Kalyanpuri ward. Jitendra Mahajan, who represents Rohtas Nagar in the Delhi Assembly, will oversee Trilokpuri East. Delhi BJP general secretaries Dinesh Pratap Singh and Harsh Malhotra have been engaged to manage polls in Rohini C and Shalimar Bagh North seats,” said Praveen Shankar Kapoor, who will coordinate media relations for the by-elections.

Four of these municipal wards had fallen vacant after councillors got elected to the assembly. All of them were from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Shalimar Bagh North is vacant since the death of Renu Jaju, who had won the seat on a BJP ticket.

The Delhi Congress had already announced scrutiny committees for each ward to pick candidates for the elections.

The committees will interact with prospective candidates and prepare shortlists. AAP has also expedited preparations for the polls and assigned responsibilities to party office-bearers after a review meeting recently.  

“AAP will fight these elections based on two issues. One is the corruption of the BJP in municipal corporations for the last 15 years and the second is the garbage problem. The BJP has transformed the civic bodies into a den of corruption and made them bankrupt,” said Durgesh Pathak, in-charge of AAP’s municipal corporation affairs.