BJP picks councillor as chief of Delhi unit
Party looking to woo its core support base
nNEWDELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday removed popular actor-turned-politician Manoj Tiwari as its Delhi unit chief after three-and-a-half years at the helm, replacing the Lok Sabka MP from North East Delhi with Adesh Kumar Gupta, a councillor from West Patel Nagar.
The BJP was reduced to just eight of the 70 seats in the Delhi assembly elections earlier this year as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, swept to power for a second term.
Tiwari is a Bhojpuri actor who holds sway in the Purvanchali community which the BJP was trying to woo, while Gupta is from the Baniya trading community considered a part of the BJP’S core supporters. The appointment to the top job of a councillor was also seen as an indication that the BJP is preparing ground for the 2022 Delhi municipal corporation (MCD) elections.
The 51-year-old Gupta, who started his political career with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), has risen through the ranks, and was elected the Mayor of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation in 2018. He was office secretary in Delhi BJP in 2012, and is currently the member of north corporation’s standing committee.
Gupta said that his immediate focus will be to raise the problems faced by Delhi resident during the Covid-19 pandemic. “The Delhi government has not been able to provide essential services to people whether it is ration or medical facility to people. We will raise these issues and expose the government. As far as the state unit is concerned, we will work towards strengthening it. I’m thankful to the party for giving me this opportunity,” said Gupta.
A senior Delhi BJP leader said on condition of anonymity that the biggest challenge for Gupta will be strengthening the state unit after the February 2020 assembly elections defeat, and added that an organisational overhaul was expected soon.
Tiwari thanked his party colleagues and the people of Delhi for their support during his stint as the Delhi BJP chief and congratulated Gupta on his appointment.
“I will always be grateful the love and support I got from the all workers, office bearers, and people of Delhi... If I made some mistakes, knowingly or unknowingly, then please forgive me for them. My heartiest congratulations to new state chief,” Tiwari tweeted in Hindi.
The decision to appoint Tiwari in a bid to woo Purvanchal voters, who now play a decisive role in Delhi politics, had benefitted the BJP in the 2017 municipal elections, which it won for the third consecutive time despite anti-incumbency. The BJP also won all seven Delhi seats in the last 2019 Lok Sabha elections. “This is a routine appointment, which was due for long. The appointment couldn’t be done earlier due to elections in Delhi followed by riots and then the Covid-19 crisis,” a second BJP leader said.
“The decision to appoint a Baniya indicates that the party wants to keep its core support base intact. Gupta will be helpful in ensuring party’s success,” said a third Delhi BJP leader on condition of anonymity.
NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Tuesday released the provisions and guidelines for board students slated to appear for their examination between July 1 and 15. The exams had been postponed since March 19 in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the nationwide lockdown that followed.
The board has laid down special provisions for students who have returned to their home towns and wish to appear from a different examination centre than their schools. Last week, HT had reported that students in residential or boarding schools were likely to face challenges while returning to their schools to appear for their papers.
“The CBSE will allow change of examination centre with respect to candidates who have shifted and are residing in districts other than the place of their school,” the board said on Tuesday. Students who were residing in hostels, or were being sponsored by state governments, or those who have shifted from the district of their school to other districts will be eligible to change their exam centres.