Sweep to give BJP Assembly boost

New delhi: The BJP’s stunning victory in the capital’s municipal polls is all set to give the party an edge in at least 46 of the 70 Assembly berths in Delhi. BJP was routed in the 2015 Delhi Assembly polls. This victory has, however, has made the saffron party a force to reckon with in Delhi as well. The MCD poll results will also provide a major boost to the BJP for the forthcoming Assembly elections in Gujarat and Rajasthan.

With the victory, the political graph of BJP state unit chief Manoj Tiwari is on the upswing. Following the massive victory, Mr Tiwari could well be the party’s face for the next Assembly elections in Delhi.

Delhi’s victory has yet again re-established the BJP’s link with the urban middle class, not to mention the Poorvanchalis. These were the sections the BJP had lost to AAP during the 2015 Assembly polls. The victory gives BJP the “hope” to retain all the seven Lok Sabha seats it had won during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Delhi. As for the next Assembly polls, the BJP is all set to target at least 60 of the 70 Assembly seats.

A senior BJP functionary said that despite claims by AAP, it’s clear that voters are “looking for a party which can provide good governance. AAP has lost the plot”.

The MCD polls have also given a clear signal that the charisma and vote catching power of the Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi continues unabated. Delhi chief minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejirwal’s repeated attempts, starting from pitching himself against Mr Modi in Varanasi during the general elections, have repeatedly failed. Virtually demolished by the Modi “magic”, Mr Kejriwal’s ambition to play a major role for the anti-BJP outfits has taken a major hit. Speculations are rife that being “out in the cold”, a “desperate” Kejriwal could look at the option for tying up with the Congress for “his political survival”, sources said.

As for BJP Delhi unit, it intends to step up on the gas. The state unit may soon give additional responsibilities to those young workers who had aggressively campaigned in the civic polls.

This is to ensure that the party is able to remain in constant touch with the voters at the grassroot level for the next Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the national capital.

A party functionary said that state unit president Manoj Tiwari has already hinted to his workers that they should not sit back and rest on their laurels and must devise innovative strategies to engage voters in the party’s day-to-day functioning in their respective areas.

“Soon you will see young party workers helping out elderly voters in getting their power and water bills desposited in their municipal limits,” a BJP leader said.

The party is also gearing up for any eventuality that may arise if the Election Commission disqualifies the 28-odd legislators who had reportedly held offices of profit, thereby violating the rules. If these legislators are disqualified, then the city may see a mega bypoll in the next few months and the party can take no chances to lose even one of these seats.