New Delhi: Resentment is brewing among the local BJP leaders who failed to make it to the list of office-bearers of the party’s state executive that was announced recently by the newly-appointed Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari. A majority of these leaders are going to raise the matter with the saffron brigade’s top leadership. A source said that many local leaders have already sought an appointment with BJP chief Amit Shah to express their concerns over the way they have been dropped by the state executive.

Keeping in view the upcoming civic polls, the BJP leadership may use all sorts of tools to ensure that its state unit is intact as it faces a challenge from the AAP which is going to contest all the 272 municipal wards for the first time. Also, the party leadership is aware of the fact that the anti-incumbency factor may work against it as it has been in power for 10 consecutive years in the three municipal bodies. The party was able to only retain three of the 13 municipal seats in the recent byelections. It was reduced to just three seats in the 70-member Assembly polls where AAP managed to grab as many as 67 seats.

A party insider told this newspaper that about three dozen leaders, including former state office bearers, district presidents, and senior leaders, who were expecting responsibility in the new team, have approached Mr Shah’s office or other national leaders seeking an appointment with the BJP national president.

“Party leaders have sought Mr Shah’s time individually or in group. They informed Mr Shah’s office that they need his appointment to discuss about issues related to the functioning of the state unit in the national capital. Some leaders have approached the national office bearers to arrange an appointment with Mr Shah so that they can convey their grievance,” he added.

Difference and infighting in the Delhi BJP has come in the open with the announcement of a new team under Mr Tiwari. Only a dozen state office-bearers, who were in the previous team, have been able to get reappointment in the 35-member team announced on Sunday. Earlier in his first reshuffle last month, the party state leadership had appointed a new president in all the 14 districts of the party.

Even Mr Shah had conveyed his unhappiness over the infighting and has directed the state leadership to end all differences. Conveying Mr Shah’s unhappiness, Delhi BJP in-charge Shyam Jaju told the state executive yesterday that the party president has asked him about what is going on in the state unit. Despite Mr Jaju’s appeal to the state leaders to approach him for redressal of their grievances, the Delhi BJP leaders directly approached Mr Shah to raise their voices against state leadership.