BJP cagey but confident

Most news channels have predicted Congress victories in six out of the total seven seats in the Capital. BJP leaders, for obvious reasons, are not taking the idiot box forecast too seriously, reports Moushumi Das Gupta.

Most news channels have predicted Congress victories in six out of the total seven seats in the Capital.

HT Image

BJP leaders, for obvious reasons, are not taking the idiot box forecast too seriously.

Delhi BJP president OP Kohli said the contest in Delhi is going to be “very close” and the result can tilt either way.

“Nobody can make such sweeping forecasts,” he said.

“I have seen many elections, but this time it is very difficult to predict the outcome because the voting trend has been very different from previous years.”

While on the one hand low voter turnout in unauthorised colonies and Muslim pockets — the traditional Congress votebanks — is giving the Delhi BJP leaders reasons to cheer, the “less-than-expected” the performance of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is giving sleepless nights.

“During the Assembly elections, though we did not win, the BSP factor helped us. It ate into Congress votes and increased our margin,” Kohli said.

The unusually high turnout in urban and middle-class areas has also baffled the BJP leaders who admit that they are the ones who will decide the fate of the party.

“Though urban and middle-class voters are traditionally said to vote for the BJP but this time around even we are not very sure,” said Leader of the Opposition in Delhi Assembly VK Malhotra (71). “But one thing is certain that the urban and middle-class voters are going to play a decisive role.”