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Saurabh Bharadwaj vs Smriti Irani in Delhi election? BJP considering options for Greater Kailash: Report
BJP has declared 59 of the 70 candidates for the upcoming Delhi polls, and is looking for strong contenders in remaining seats, which include Greater Kailash.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is reportedly considering fielding former Union minister Smriti Irani in the Greater Kailash assembly seat against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, The Indian Express reported.
The report claimed that Smriti Irani is being seen by the BJP's Delhi unit as a charismatic leader who might fill in the gaps and take on a popular figure like Saurabh Bharadwaj.
The BJP has declared 59 of the 70 candidates for the upcoming Delhi assembly election so far, and is looking for strong contenders in the remaining seats, which include the Greater Kailash seat.
Saurabh Bharadwaj is reportedly seen as a popular figure in the seat even by the BJP. The party has held several rounds of discussions on the GK seat.
The IE report added that Irani’s name is doing rounds along with three other women leaders for the constituency.
The two sides of Smriti Irani argument
According to the Indian Express report, the Delhi unit of the BJP is viewing Smriti Irani as someone who may fill the gap in its ranks of a charismatic leader, especially to counter AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal.
She is seen as an articulate and feisty leader and has giant killing under her belt as she had defeated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from his family bastion of Amethi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
“The GK seat has emerged as a very important constituency during our poll discussions. The BJP’s Delhi election in-charge, Baijayant Panda, was himself deputed by the Central Election Committee last Friday to seek the assent of the candidates being considered, including a former Delhi MP,” The IE quoted a BJP functionary as saying.
The report suggests that the Delhi Core Committee of the party had a long meeting with the senior leadership to finalise the remaining names, where Irani's name popped up as a request made by the state unit for a strong face. The reported response was that this request will be considered.
The other names being considered reportedly are Arti Mehra, a member of the BJP national executive and a former mayor; Shikha Rai, a sitting councillor from the GK ward; and former Union minister Meenakshi Lekhi.
While Arti Mehra is a resident of the constituency, Shikha Rai contested from Greater Kailash on the BJP ticket in the 2020 assembly election, losing to Bharadwaj by more than 16,000 votes. Lekhi, on the other hand, is said to be more keen to contest from Delhi Cantonment.
However, the other side of the argument is that the party shouldn't parachute leaders from outside as the BJP did with their 2015 Delhi CM face Kiran Bedi. Despite Bedi's popularity and charisma, the party only managed to win three assembly seats in that election. Many BJP leaders advise caution in that regard. They say such a move could be disheartening for local workers and harm the party.
Bharadwaj is a three-time MLA from GK and one of the senior leaders of the AAP, holding several portfolios. The BJP has already fielded prominent leaders against other senior AAP faces, including former West Delhi MP and key Jat leader Parvesh Verma against Kejriwal in the New Delhi seat, and ex-South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri against Chief Minister Atishi in Kalkaji.
