The BJP’s shying from projecting a chief ministerial candidate in Delhi is being seen as a disadvantage by a section of the party.
Soon after speculations of Harsh Vardhan being chosen over Vijay Goel picked up pace, BJP on Wednesday sought to quell the speculation. The party said that any decision on the issue will be taken by the party’s parliamentary board.
Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari, who is in charge of the party’s preparations for the Delhi assembly polls, said that the party has not chosen any leader as its chief ministerial candidate in Delhi polls.
“The BJP has not chosen a leader as chief ministerial candidate for the Delhi assembly polls. Whatever decision is taken on the issue, it will be taken by the party’s parliamentary board,” Gadkari said in the statement.
Dr Harsh Vardhan is a practicing ENT and former health minister of Delhi. A four-time MLA, Harshvardhan enjoys the support of almost every leader in the party now, said another BJP strategist, who added that the party’s parent body, the RSS, too backed his projection.
Vijay Goel as Delhi BJP chief has led the party’s campaign efforts so far. But many BJP leaders have not minced words in saying he has failed to bring up the party to face the twin challenges by the ruling Congress as well as the debutant Aam Aadmi Party in the December elections this year.
Apparently, in the weekly meeting of the BJP held on Tuesday, Goel thanked the party workers for supporting him during the last eight months. He has probably finally surrendered to the pressure from the party’s central leadership, which has been pushing for Harshvardhan’s name for the top post.
The BJP’s shying from projecting a chief ministerial candidate in Delhi is being seen as a disadvantage by a section of the party. Sheila Dikshit is the face of the Congress campaign in Delhi while Arvind Kejriwal is the face of Aam Aadmi Party.
There have been suggestions from party workers that a leader with clean image should be chosen as the chief ministerial candidate and Harsh Vardhan’s name has been doing the rounds in this context.
-with inputs from IANS
