NEW DELHI (TIP): The stakes are high and the Bharatiya Janata Party is pooling in massive resources at hand for the maximum impact before Delhi goes to polls on February 7.

 

As many as 120 MPs from 13 states will address over 250 public meetings in the last week of campaigning. The party is coming out with newer strategies to trump rivals, specially AAP’s reach out to the voters.

No manifesto just vision document for BJP – The BJP may not go through with earlier poll promises of providing full Statehood to Delhi with the party’s chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi and senior BJP leaders skirting the issue. Full Statehood demand which was on top of the manifesto released ahead of the 2013 Delhi Assembly elections seems to have been kept aside for the time being. The party on January 29 decided that it would not even bring out an election manifesto but would instead put out a vision document this time. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by BJP president Amit Shah during which various aspects relating to the election campaign were discussed. “We will not release the party’s manifesto for the Delhi Assembly elections this time. Instead, we will come out with a vision document. The party has set a target to win the upcoming polls,” senior party leader and Union Minister Ananth Kumar said after the meeting.

The party had earlier asked 22 ministers to campaign specifically on eight issues shortlisted by the party — power and water, education, health, skill development and information technology, housing, transport, Yamuna and welfare measures for the Purvanchalis.

 

Now, the party MPs will ask AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal five questions every day. Party president Amit Shah convened a meeting of MPs involved in Delhi election on Thursday and asked them to give their best.

 

“He reviewed election preparations and asked MPs to focus on unauthorized colonies and slums,” said a senior BJP leader. Sources said Shah would review the party campaign on a daily basis at the Pandit Pant Marg office of the BJP.

 

“We will do all that it takes, and win by a two-third majority,” said BJP leader Ananth Kumar. Sources also said that workers from other states have also been called to campaign at the grassroots level.

 

“We want to have 1.24 lakh panna pramukh (in-charge of pages of electoral roll) who will connect with voters. They will strengthen the party at the booth level,” said a senior leader.

 

A senior BJP leader said the move to include senior leaders was largely aimed at nipping in the bud the factionalism which reared its head soon after the party announced its candidates.

 

Supporters of many of those who were denied tickets portested in front of the party office, embarassing the party brass. “BJP has MPs, ministers, MLAs. I can’t help it if other parties don’t have such leaders for campaigning. We are not feeling the pressure. The campaign is on and people of Delhi would certainly like to have a BJP government in Delhi,” said BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy in response to a question if the party was nervous.

 

Delhi has been divided into 14 districts by and an MP has been asked to take charge of each district. Also one MP each has been asked to be in regular touch with the various
‘pannna pramukh’.