MCD polls: State BJP leaders troop into Delhi to woo native populations

A visit to the BJP’s 14, Pandit Pant Marg office in New Delhi surely indicates how serious the party is regarding the upcoming civic polls in the capital. It is going all out to secure a fourth consecutive term at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

“We are extremely confident of surpassing our 2017 tally of 181. We have undertaken developmental projects on ground and are regularly in touch with the masses,” said Anuja Kapur, Delhi BJP spokesperson as she dismissed AAP’s claim of BJP not getting more than 20 wards in the 250-ward municipality.

True involvement

Although chief ministers from BJP-ruled states campaigning in different parts of India is a common sight now, this year’s MCD campaign has seen a new trend – the involvement of unit presidents, district presidents and councillors from other states along with party heavyweights in Delhi. It is estimated that the BJP has involved around 4,000 leaders —  big and small —  from outside Delhi to campaign in the MCD elections.

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Explaining the rationale behind the move, Kapur said: “The leaders at the lower end of hierarchy are better placed to discuss the civic work undertaken by them in their respective areas. Although it may not be common in Delhi, the BJP has deployed such a mechanism in various states over the years. There is also an attempt to involve leaders keeping in mind the linguistic diversity in different wards.”

“The BJP has undertaken development and welfare projects in all states where it is in power,” said Praveen Shankar Kapoor, BJP’s head of media relations. “Delhi has a sizable population of people from other states and they tend to relate with such projects. When leaders from their own state come and join the campaign, it adds more heft and thereby conveys a more direct message among the voters.”

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“Our cadres and our voters love to hear the chant ‘Jai Shree Ram’, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma uses the chant to rally our supporters. They love his aggressive and purposeful style,” Kapoor added.

The party has identified localities that have residents belonging to other states and is now deploying regional leaders who can interact with these people. Delhi has an estimated 47,000 voters from Assam. Therefore, the party has inducted leaders from Assam to campaign on the ground and interact with them in Assamese.

Kapoor  said places like Ghonda and Karawal Nagar that fall in eastern Delhi have a sizable population from Purvanchal. “Therefore, we will involve leaders from these states. Similarly, Sangam Vihar and Tughlakabad have people from western Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, whereas Preet Vihar has an affluent Gujarati population. This strategy is not only restricted for MCD polls, but will be similarly employed in the next Delhi assembly polls too,” he added.

Clearing the air

Clearing the air of dissatisfaction among some Delhi workers and former councillors, Anuja Kapur said that BJP is like a family and minor skirmishes do happen at times. The family is unitedly working towards the common goal of winning the civic polls, she added.

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“The party is bigger than any individual, and we all know this,” reiterated Kapoor.

Besides BJP-ruled states, the party has also involved senior leaders from West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. To see how far the strategy yields dividend, we would have to wait for the results on December 7.