The dilemma whether to form the government in Delhi or not is back to haunt the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). And with the Lok Sabha elections round the corner, the stakes are all the more high.
In December 2013, the party -that emerged as the single largest party with 32 MLAs – took the moral high ground to deny itself the power. Now, with the possibility of a repoll staring in their face, the BJP leaders are back to the drawing board.
“One section is of the view that in case assembly elections are held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP will have an advantage as the party can rely on the Modi magic. However, another group is apprehensive that the AAP might come back with a clear majority since Kejriwal is claiming martyrdom,” said a senior BJP leader.
The party is also sceptical about losing the momentum that it had gained for the Lok Sabha elections in the event of a repoll in Delhi.
“Right now the focus should be entirely on the Lok Sabha elections. They are very crucial for the party and all our energies should be spent on ensuring our win on all seven seats in Delhi,” said another party leader.
{{/usCountry}}“Right now the focus should be entirely on the Lok Sabha elections. They are very crucial for the party and all our energies should be spent on ensuring our win on all seven seats in Delhi,” said another party leader.
{{/usCountry}}The party had started the process of scrutinising the names for the Lok Sabha seats. Names of Vijender Gupta, Sudhanshu Mittal, Subramanian Swamy, Vijay Jolly and Arti Mehra are already doing the rounds.
Party insiders said the BJP would retain most of its elected MLAs if polls happen again in Delhi. But there are apprehensions as well. “The situation is different now. Those who won might not be repeat their performance. So the entire process of candidates selection will have to started afresh,” said a senior leader.
However, this time the party is not taking any chances with AAP. The party will stage a protest at Jantar Mantar to expose the “alliance” between the AAP and Congress.
New president
The BJP is looking for a leader to head its Delhi unit. The incumbent chief, Vijay Goel, has expressed his desire to work at the national level. Names of Harsh Vardhan, Pawan Sharma and Ashish Sood are doing the rounds.