Eye on first-time Delhi voters in LS polls, BJP holds rally at Ramlila Maidan

The BJP is focusing on the youth, especially first-timers, to repeat its performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in the national capital—BJP had won all seven parliamentary seats for the first time then.

With eye on the youth in the coming general elections, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Sunday held a “Yuva Vijay Sankalp Maharally” at the Ramlila Maidan.

BJP workers and supporters during the Yuva Sankalp Rally, at Ramlila Ground, in New Delhi, on Sunday, January 20, 2019. (Sushil Kumar/HT Photo)

The party is focusing on the youth, especially first-timers, to repeat its performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in the national capital—BJP had won all seven parliamentary seats for the first time then.

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said that in the coming days, the party will hold several campaigns to connect with the young voter and tell them about the achievements of the Modi government.

“The Modi government has introduced many schemes for the development of youth in the country. The purpose of these schemes is to make them job creators instead of job seekers. We have to reach out to people and tell them about these scheme and ensure that the party wins all seven seats once again,” said Tiwari, who is a Lok Sabha member from North East Delhi constituency.

The state unit has started a special campaign—‘mera phela vote, Modi ko’—to reach out to first-time voters.

“We are telling first-time voters why they should vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We are training our workers so that they can answer all queries of young voters and tell them in detail about the achievements of our government at the Centre,” said Sunil Yadav, president of the Delhi BJP’s youth wing.

The rally was attended by former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union ministers Vijay Goel, Delhi MPs Meenakshi Lekhi and Parvesh Verma, and other senior party leaders.

Addressing the rally, Chouhan, also the BJP national vice-president, spoke about the party’s defeat in Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections and attacked the Opposition “unity” rally in Kolkata on Saturday.

“We will win at least 27 seats (from Madhya Pradesh), as we did in 2014, out of the 29 Lok Sabha seats, in the coming elections,” said Chouhan. “… strange things happened in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly (elections). BJP’s vote share was more than that of the Congress party, but they won more seats resulting in the formation of a weak government. We could also have formed the government in Madhya Pradesh, but we decided that we will form the government with absolute majority.”

Hitting out the opposition parties, Chouhan said, “Yesterday we saw 22 political parties, who have never co-operated with each other, come together on a single platform... They fear Modi ji’s increasing popularity…These 22 political parties will ruin the future of the country.”