New Delhi: Seeking to unseat the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and stage a comeback in Delhi after two decades, the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has placed its bet on experienced candidates and the works done by the government led by it at the Centre.
The BJP is contesting on 67 of the 70 Assembly seats, leaving two seats for its National Democratic Alliance partner the Janata Dal (United) and one for the Lok Janshakti Party. It has also fielded candidates on four seats that traditionally went to its old ally the Sironmani Akali Dal(SAD).
The SAD on Monday refused to contest the Delhi polls in alliance with the BJP citing its differences with the saffron party over Citizenship (Amendment) Act. The BJP leaders maintained that the SAD's decision of not contesting the Assembly polls will not affect its prospects.
"We have fielded good candidates on all the four seats -- Hari Nagar, Rajouri Garden, Shahdara and Kalkaji -- which were contested and lost by the SAD in 2015," a senior Delhi BJP leader said.
The party's Delhi unit chief Manoj Tiwari said the BJP is going to form the next government in city. The BJP will win majority comfortably, he said.
"The Narendra Modi government has done many path-breaking works for the people living in unauthorised colonies and slums, besides coming up with peripheral expressways to reduce pollution in the city. On the other hand the AAP government stalled schemes like Ayushman Bharat and the PM Awas Yojana," he said.
Among the 67 BJP candidates, over 30 are former legislators or have contested the Assembly elections in the past. Their experience in electoral politics will boost their chances in the February 8 polls, said Virendra Sachdeva, the co-convener of Delhi BJP's media committee for the elections.
The BJP released its second list of 10 candidates just hours before the nomination process concluded on Tuesday. The BJP released its first list of 57 candidates last Friday.
It has fielded Delhi BJP Yuva Morcha president Sunil Yadav against the AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on New Delhi Assembly constituency. Yadav said that he will give a "tough fight" to Kejriwal.
"Kejriwal lives in Civil Lines, he is an outsider in New Delhi constituency. I live in the constituency so I am always available to the people living here," he said.
The BJP has pitted first-time candidate Ravi Negi against Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Patparganj seat. Over 40 BJP candidates filed their nominations on Monday and the remaining on Tuesday -- the last day for filing the papers.
The party has drawn up a list of its star campaigners including national leaders and chief ministers of states ruled by it. The Prime Minister is likely to hold a mega election rally in Delhi, a BJP leader said.
"The party has planned to hold around 5,000 small meetings with attendance of 200-300 people during the election campaign," he said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah in a recent convention of booth-level workers had said that he will launch small meetings in the form of 'mohalla sabhas' as part of the BJP's poll campaign.
Besides highlighting the Modi government's works, the BJP also has plans to raise national issues like the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and abrogation of Article 370 provisions during campaigning.
The BJP lost power in Delhi Assembly in 1998. After facing three consecutive defeats at the hand of the Congress, it was routed by the AAP in 2015 polls.
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