A case of the imploding BJP in Delhi

Former BJP president Nitin Gadkari and MP Navjot Singh Sidhu have their work cut out in attempting to stop Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit from winning a fourth consecutive term in Delhi. The veteran leaders, recently appointed to lead the BJP into the state Assembly polls later this year, have to stitch together a Delhi chapter that in recent months has done its best to implode. That the appointments were made only last week is a telling sign of the consternation within the Delhi BJP. Sources assert that it was only after days of dialogue between the upper echelons of the BJP and Gadkari that the latter agreed, seemingly reluctantly, to accept charge of the party in the Capital. The reasoning that the BJP needed a "strong" leader in the state appears laughable under the circumstances.
Incidentally, when the BJP announced in-charges for other poll-bound states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan in May, they had withheld a name for Delhi. In this crucial gap, the Congress re-jigged its own team, stalled party in-fighting and even set up the manifesto and publicity committees.
On their part, senior BJP leaders unhappy with Delhi president Vijay Goel attempted to form a parallel leadership within the party and in some cases openly defied orders. Goel, the most visible party leader in Delhi, has limited himself to organising localised rallies, targeting the UPA government and staying at the Balmiki temple in Pandav Nagar to woo Dalits.
Senior party leaders also expressed concern over Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which some believe would eat into the BJP's vote share. Sources in the BJP stated that those disgruntled with the Congress's performance might migrate to the AAP instead of the BJP. "We are yet to formulate a strategy on taking on the AAP as well. For now our concern is the Congress," a senior party leader said.
In the past six months, the AAP has managed to outdo the BJP is attacking the ruling Congress, particularly on power and water issues. While the BJP believes they have pursued such issues for five years now, with the AAP snapping at its heels, the party needs to think and look beyond.


Apurva is a special correspondent based in Delhi

vn.apurva@expressindia.com

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