Cong, BJP fire all engines, get into election mode

The Congress will launch a mass movement against AAP from Monday to ‘expose’ its alleged misdeeds, said Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken.

The possibility of byelections in Delhi, following the Election Commission of India’s (ECI’s) recommendation to disqualify 20 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs for holding offices of profit, has charged up the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress that have already got into the poll mode.

The Congress will launch a mass movement against AAP from Monday to ‘expose’ its alleged misdeeds, said Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken. (PTI)

Senior leaders of both parties huddled at their state headquarters on Friday evening to discuss their course of action.

The Congress will launch a mass movement against AAP from Monday to ‘expose’ its alleged misdeeds, said Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken.

Maken said that after Republic Day, his party will reach out to voters of all 20 assembly constituencies where AAP MLAs are facing disqualification.

“On Friday, all Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) members met at the party office in which former MLAs, MPs, and PC Chacko, the state’s incharge, also participated. After January 26, the Congress will hold a ‘workers convention’ and start booth level meetings in all 20 seats,” he said.

Maken said after last year’s municipal elections, the AAP’s position is vulnerable.

“The party is ramping up poll preparations and analysed the MCD elections. We found that AAP had even not won any of these 20 seats. We were ahead of AAP in these constituencies,” he added.

Delhi BJP’s core committee also held a meeting to deliberate over the sudden political development. A BJP leader presented in the meeting said it had decided to go hammer and tongs at AAP over the sealing issue.

“It was decided to take a firm stand against the ongoing sealing drive. We will tell people that the municipal corporations are not responsible for the action. It was suggested by the party that councillors should explain people in their respective wards that sealing is an outcome of the AAP government’s failure,” he added.

Present in the meeting were all seven Lok Sabha MPs and union minister Vijay Goel.

However, the BJP leaders failed to reach a consensus on how to take on AAP in view of the ECI’s decision on the AAP’s MLAs, said another senior leader.

“Attendees had different opinions. In the present scenario, any suggestion by state unit chief Manoj Tiwari will be followed. We are going to start visits to voters in 20 constituencies,” said another member of the core committee.