NEW DELHI: Terming as "Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwar" its three MLAs, the BJP today elected Rohini MLA Vijender Gupta as the leader of its Legislature Party in the Delhi Assembly.
Gupta, a first-time MLA, was elected as the Legislature Party leader in a meeting held at the state BJP office here.
The former state BJP president faces the daunting task of keeping the party's agenda relevant in the Assembly.
In the 70-member House, AAP has 67 MLAs and BJP has just three. "The voice of the opposition even if it is minuscule in terms of number should not be disregarded. They are our Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar who will work with full vigour and energy in the House in raising people's voice," the party's Delhi in-charge Prabhat Jha said in a press conference.
Legally, BJP cannot claim the post of the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.
Jha added that despite the massive mandate in favour of AAP, he still maintains that Kejriwal's style of functioning has shades of "anarchism".
Apart from Gupta, who won from Rohini by a margin of 5,367 votes, Delhi BJP President Satish Upadhyay and two other BJP MLAs Om Prakash Sharma of Vishwas Nagar and Jagdish Pradhan of Mustafabad were also present.
Gupta said he accepts the challenge and won't "shy away from duels with government if need arises, but will give the government time (to work)".
"If the government and AAP thinks opposition is small in number it should remember that numbers do not matter. We will play the role of a constructive opposition," he said.
Gupta had contested against AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal in the 2013 assembly elections, but was tailing behind then Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who came second. He, however, was elected as a municipal councillor thrice from Rohini. His wife Shobna is also a municipal councillor.
On the restrictions imposed on media by the government in the Secretariat, Jha said it was an attack on democracy. "This move raises questions about the government's claims of transparent functioning."