NEW DELHI: With COVID-19 cases rising again, Union minister and the BJP's poll incharge for Punjab, Gajendra Shekhawat Wednesday said that if situation demands the party is ready to hold virtual rallies as it has done in previous elections.
With the emergence of the new Omicron variant of coronavirus, several states including the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh have announced night curfews and other curbs.
Asked that whether the BJP is ready to hold virtual rallies, Shekhawat said, "The BJP is fully prepared. The BJP did virtual rallies during the West Bengal assembly polls also. And when the political parties across the world were in hibernation, during the first and the second wave of Covid-19 even at that time BJP workers were reaching out to people through virtual platforms."
Shekhawat was talking to the reporters at the BJP headquarters after several local leaders from Punjab joined the party.
Apprehensions have been expressed by many over holding elections rallies as it becomes difficult to ensure social distancing in such events with huge gatherings.
Election Commission officials earlier this week held a meeting with the Union health secretary to take stock of the situation for holding assembly polls early next year in five states -- Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarkhand, Manipur and Goa.
Meanwhile, several local leaders from Punjab including former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Jagdeep Singh Nakai and former Congress MLA Shamsher Singh Rai joined the BJP in the presence of Shekhawat.
With an aim to expand its base in Punjab, where it so far played second fiddle to its erstwhile ally SAD, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been roping in leaders from various political parties, including the Congress.
The saffron party has announced its alliance with former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh's party Punjab Lok Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) led by Sukdev Singh Dhindsa.
Among the new joinees are former SAD leaders Ravipreet Singh Sidhu, Harbhag Singh Desu and Nakai and former Congress MLA Rai joined the BJP on Wednesday.
Welcoming them into the party, Shekhawat said they are joining the party as they believe in its vision of a new Punjab and in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.
He further claimed that the development shows in whose favour the wind is blowing in Punjab.