BJP’s Delhi poll campaign may get a boost as NDA allies request to team up

While BJP plays a dominant role in the Delhi polls among NDA partners, at least three prominent parties from Bihar have expressed desire to field candidates from Delhi. They are Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) led by Union minister Chirag Paswan and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) headed by Union minister Jayant Singh.

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While the role of NDA partners is expected to be nominal and would be limited to a couple of seats in Delhi, it is being said that their participation in the polls would project a united NDA and help the BJP in its campaign against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

‘Dominant idea is to show united NDA’

“We have given a list of seats to the BJP with the names of the candidates for the Delhi polls. The negotiations are going on and it is difficult to say how many seats the BJP will finally agree to share with the NDA partners. The idea of contesting the Delhi polls is to not just to expand the base of the LJP (Ram Vilas) but also help the BJP in its campaign for the Delhi polls. There are also talks for a joint campaign of all NDA partners,” Ajay Kumar, national spokesperson of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) told The Federal.

In fact, Paswan was among the first NDA leaders to have pitched the demand to contest the Delhi polls. Even though the BJP has not shared seats with NDA partners for the Delhi Assembly polls, the upcoming elections could set a first-of-its-kind trend.

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Purvanchali voters

The BJP along with its NDA allies is said to be eyeing the voters of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar who play a decisive role in the Delhi Assembly polls.

The strength of the voter base of the migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar can be understood from the fact that out of the 70 Assembly seats in Delhi, the people of these states play a decisive role in at least 20 Assembly seats.

“There is no doubt that JD(U) is keen to contest elections in Delhi and discussions are going on with the BJP leadership. Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) is heading the negotiations with the BJP leadership and seat sharing arrangement,” Neeraj Kumar, chief spokesperson of JD(U), told The Federal.

Sources say that there is a possibility that JD(U) would contest on at least two Assembly seats as the negotiations are underway for the seats of Burari and Sangam Vihar. The JD(U) has contested these seats in the past, but hasn’t been able to secure a win. The AAP has been winning in both the constituencies since 2015.

Smoother SC outreach

The presence of LJP (Ram Vilas) and JD(U) is also likely to help the BJP in its outreach for the Scheduled Caste (SC) community that has a dominant impact on the outcome of the Delhi polls. Of the 12 constituencies reserved for the SC community, the BJP could not win a single seat in the 2020 Assembly polls. The situation for the BJP on the SC reserved seats was no better in the 2015 Assembly polls when it could not win a single seat.

The LJP (Ram Vilas) which usually contests one seat in Delhi, Seemapuri, is expected to join the BJP’s poll campaign.

Also read: Delhi polls: BJP steps up outreach campaigns in Dalit-dominated seats

Political analysts believe there are at least 30 per cent Assembly constituencies in Delhi where the people of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar play a substantial role in electing the new government. So far, the AAP has dominated in most of these nearly 20 seats that have representation from eastern India.

“There are near 17-20 seats in Delhi that have considerable population of people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It is possible that JD(U) could contest at least two seats. The AAP leadership also looks at this section of people and Sanjeev Jha is an example who has won three times. Most of the seats that have a considerable population of people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have been won by AAP,” Sanjay Kumar, professor and co-director of Lokniti, at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), told The Federal.