NEW DELHI: The Delhi unit of the BJP released the first list of 232 candidates for the upcoming civic polls on Saturday night. Among the 232 candidates, the party gave the opportunity to 126 female candidates to contest in the election. This year, half of the total seats are reserved for women candidates.
The BJP has fielded nine former mayors, 52 former councillors, four district presidents, two state unit officials and three doctors for the polls.In addition to this, three party workers who contested in assembly elections were given a chance in this election.
Among the candidates who are on the list, 23 are Punjabi, 42 are Brahmin, 23 are Other Backward class, 34 of them are Jatts, 26 are purvanchali, 22 are Rajputs, 17 are Gujjar and 13 are Jatav candidates.
Seven sikhs, three muslims, one jain , two Uttarakhand natives and nine candidates each were selected from Valmiki and Yadav community.
The party will likely release the name of the remaining candidates on Sunday. Party leader Harsh Malhotra said that the Delhi voters will again bless BJP like they did in the previous three MCD elections.
State president Adesh Gupta said that we decided the candidates on the basis of their public service.
He also said that they considered the popularity factor of the workers before giving them a chance in this poll.
The 250-ward MCD goes to polls on December 4 while counting will take place on December 7. The nomination process for the polls, which started on Monday, will conclude on November 14.
In the civic body polls in 2017, the BJP had won 181 of the 270 wards. No polling could be held on two seats due to the death of candidates. The AAP had won 48 wards, while the Congress managed to win 27.
Earlier this year, the Centre unified the city’s three municipal corporations under the MCD and reduced the
total number of wards to 250 from 272.
On the other hand, the BJP on Saturday stepped up its attack on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, calling him the “biggest anti-Hindu”, after the AAP included former minister Rajendra Pal Gautam in its list of star campaigners for the upcoming civic polls.
Whether it is Gautam or AAP’s Gujarat leader Gopal Italia, their words against Hindu deities reflect Kejriwal’s “poisonous” mindset, said BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia in a press conference.
“The facts will show that Kejriwal is the biggest hatemonger and anti-Hindu who changes colour and becomes a ‘chunavi’ Hindu during elections,” Bhatia said.