NEW DELHI: Ahead of the poll ticket nominations, BJP functionaries and office bearers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi have raised the bogey of anti-incumbency against all seven party MPs. Worse, in three meetings this month with two in-charges of parliamentary elections Nirmala Sitharaman and Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya, they have urged the central leadership to field new faces to repeat the performance of 2014.
On Tuesday, a Delhi BJP functionary said the presidents of 14 districts expressed their dissatisfaction over performance of at least three MPs in the meeting with state unit chief Manoj Tiwari. “There is anti-incumbency in the party against its sitting MPs. Whenever, the party workers are being asked to give opinion, suggestion, and feedback on incumbent MPs, they are giving negative reactions. Some of them have personal grudges and a few of them have genuine complaints,” said the leader.
The meeting held at the Delhi BJP headquarters was attended by Tiwari, secretary (organisation) Siddharthan, and presidents of all 14 districts in which in-charge and co-incharge of seven Lok Sabha were also present. Each parliamentary constituency has two districts.
Tiwari said a meeting was convened on Tuesday to ensure smooth coordination for ‘Vijaya Sankalp’ rallies to be held in the city along 260 parliamentary constituencies across the country. “The discussion specifically was held about rallies to be held on March 24 in all seven Lok Sabha seats,” Tiwari said.
Another Delhi BJP leader said during assessment exercise (in view of the general elections) with Sitharaman last week, office-bearers, former MLAs and councillors had raised similar issues.
“The party workers and sitting councillors have been suggesting replacement of all MPs or at least three, who don’t have public connect at all. Nirmalaji held one-on-one meeting with several leaders. The feedback collected through direct interaction will play a crucial role to pick up candidates,” said the BJP functionary.
The Delhi BJP leader said within two-three days, the state level screening committee will meet to prepare a list of three probables on each seat, which will be sent to the Central committee for final decision.
Feedback collected through the three round of exercise with Pawaiya, Sitharaman, and Tiwari will also be submitted to the party brass.
AAP is politicising the cow: Vijender Gupta
The Delhi BJP on Tuesday alleged that the AAP was trying to incite communal tensions by “politicising the cow” and said it would lodge a complaint with the Election Commission.The BJP’s reaction came on a tweet by AAP Lok Sabha poll candidate Raghav Chadha in which he wrote “door to door campaigning by BJP” and posted a photo of a cow and a calf standing at the doorstep of a house. The post has been liked by Arvind Kejriwal, BJP leader Vijender Gupta said. We have taken an appointment with the EC and will apprise them about how the AAP is politicising the cow, which is a symbol of harmony,” Gupta told reporters.