NEW DELHI: The Delhi unit of the BJP carried out a ‘Shobha Yatra’ from the Rajendra Nagar Assembly constituency, which is headed for by-election in September, to mark the 42nd foundation day of the party. The procession was taken out from this seat in order to boost the morale of party cadres ahead of the poll. Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta and national spokesperson R P Singh are among possible candidates, party sources said.
The seat fell vacant after sitting MLA Raghav Chadha of AAP was elected to the Rajya Sabha last month. The State Election Commission will hold by-election within six months. This will be the first by-election after the 2020 Delhi Assembly polls, in which AAP won 62 out of the total 70 seats.
Names of probable candidates for the seat are being discussed in party circles, including those who have contested from the seat in the past, and others who belong to the area and have been politically active. “Some of the probable candidates, whose names are in circulation, include party’s national spokesperson R P Singh, who has won the seat once. Also, names of Delhi BJP chief Gupta, party’s vice-president Rajan Tiwari, former councilor from the area Rajesh Bhatia and spokesperson Harish Khurana are doing the rounds,” said a senior BJP functionary, who didn’t wish to be named.
“This Shobha Yatra was one of the ways to boost the morale of the cadres and prepare them for the upcoming election. Party’s national president Nadda took part in the procession and addressed party workers. He urged them to ensure that the benefits of the Centre’s welfare schemes reach the grassroots,” said the functionary.
Party leaders said that even though it’s just one seat, this is going to be an important by-election, as it will give an indication of which party will be the top choice of the people for the municipal elections, which have been delayed by nearly a year now, after the Centre got the three corporations reunified. BJP held the Rajendra Nagar seat, a traditionally Punjabi-dominated constituency, in four of the seven polls. Since 2015 it has been represented by the AAP.
Punjabi-dominated, erstwhile saffron bastion
Between 1993 and 2008, the Punjabi-dominagted seat was won by BJP. While the Congress won Rajendra Nagar in 2008, it was taken back by BJP again in 2013. In the 2020 polls, Raghav Chadha bagged 59,135 votes (57%) to defeat BJP’s RP Singh who got 39,077 votes (37.7%).