BJP must announce CM candidate, finds survey

New Delhi: An ongoing survey conducted by an independent agency for the Delhi BJP found that to dislodge Arvind Kejriwal’s government in the forthcoming Assembly polls the party must announce its chief ministerial candidate in the national capital. The Delhi Assembly polls will be held early next year.

According to a well placed source in the BJP, the ongoing survey conducted in over 40 Assembly constituencies found that people are asking for BJP’s chief ministerial candidate against incumbent Mr Kejriwal.

Starting preparations for the upcoming Assembly polls, Delhi BJP is conducting multiple surveys to identify issues and candidates. The surveys are done by two independent agencies hired by the party. The first of the three-phase survey is currently underway.

A party insider aware of the development told this newspaper that initial findings of the survey in  about 42 Assembly constituencies show that BJP will face difficulty in dislodging the Kejriwal government in the absence of a chief ministerial face.

“Majority of respondents in these 42 Assembly constituencies are asking for BJP’s chief ministerial candidate against Mr Kejriwal. Responses show that the party will face an uphill task to return to power after over 21 years. The survey found that the electorates are asking for a credible face against Mr Kejriwal,” he added.

A senior Delhi BJP leader said that findings of the surveys will be compiled and discussed at state units before forwarding the same to the central leadership for appropriate actions.

“The findings of the survey will be reviewed and sent to the central leadership. Any decision in this regard would be only taken by the central leadership. Whatever decision will be taken by the central leadership will be followed by the state unit,” he added.

According to a party insider, the surveys will be conducted in three phases. In the first phase, the Delhi BJP is focusing on identifying issues concerning. While in the second phase, the survey will assess the performance of the incumbent AAP government and the individual performances of the AAP MLAs in each of the 70 Assembly constituencies. In the third and final phase, BJP will find out the popularity and acceptability of its own leaders in each of these Assembly seats in order to finalise the candidates.

“The survey also aims at assessing the mood of the voters and their response towards the Kejriwal government,” said a party leader.