‘Landslide victory was expected because we saw people’s anger against the AAP’: Delhi BJP chief
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said the decision regarding the chief minister will be made by the central leadership soon.
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva, who led the party organisation during the elections, sat down with HT for an interview after Saturday’s results and discussed what worked for the campaign and what the priorities of the new government will be. Edited excerpts:
Q: The BJP is coming back to power in Delhi after 27 years. What do you believe were the key factors that led to this outcome?
A: Our victory is the result of the people’s faith in Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and his good governance model. The BJP workers worked very hard, and we focused on the issues affecting the people such as overflowing sewers, the water crisis, bad roads, and sanitation. We were successful in connecting with the people and convincing them that a double-engine government under the leadership of PM Modi can fix the problems of the people and push the national capital on the fast path of progress. The landslide victory was expected because we saw anger against the AAP due to their failure in governance and sheer corruption.
Q: What will be the priorities of the BJP government?
A: The guarantees given by PM Narendra Modi to the people before the elections will be our guiding light and the BJP government will fulfil all the guarantees. We will implement the Ayushman Bharat Yojana to provide the benefits of health care to the people who have been deprived of the benefits of this scheme by the AAP, we will implement our promise to provide ₹2,500 in monthly allowance, and repair roads. We will make Delhi a world class city with focus on inclusive development.
Q: There has been speculation about who will be the next chief minister. So, who is going to be the CM?
A: The decision regarding the chief minister will be made by our central leadership. It will be announced after the decision is made.
Q: Many top AAP leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, lost their seats. What do you think went wrong?
A: The AAP came to power against corruption and with the promise that they will not take big cars and bungalows. Kejriwal was busy building Sheesh Mahal when people were dying due to Covid in 2020. How insensitive he was. It was the beginning of the end of the AAP.
The AAP leaders’ loss is due to multiple other factors such as the liquor scam, Sheesh Mahal scam, classrooms scam, etc. The AAP leaders spent the last five years in corruption and covering them up. They did no work for the people even though the people continued to suffer due to overflowing sewers, bad roads, poor sanitation, and pollution. AAP leaders lived in echo chambers where they were unaware of the ground realities and failed to see the issues of the people.