‘BJP wins back middle class, Poorvanchalis’

A senior BJP leader said that the party reached out to all sections and the support of Poorvanchalis and urban middle class support is clearly visible with the results

BJP’s unprecedented victory in the MCD polls clearly indicated the return of Poorvanchalis and urban middle class to the party fold. Apart from these two strong vote segments, a large number of Scheduled Caste also voted for the BJP.

A senior BJP leader told this newspaper that in this civic polls, the BJP reached out to all the section of society and received their support, but Poorvanchalis and urban middle class support is clearly visible with results. “We won wards dominated by Poorvanchalis and urban middle class, which indicates that these vote bank finally extended their supports to the BJP,” he added.

As per estimate, Poorvanchalis comprise of 32 per cent of the city’s over 1.32 crore voters. This group, comprising people from Bihar and eastern UP, can tilt the electoral balance in 25 per cent of total 272 municipal wards. Poorvanchalis, once considered a loyal vote bank of the Congress, had favoured

the AAP in the 2013 and 2015 Assembly election.

The BJP efforts to snatch these voters this time from the AAP by appointing Manoj Tiwari, a Bhojpuri superstar, as its state unit chief yielded results. The party believes that around 60 per cent of total Poorvanchalis, who voted on Sunday, had voted for them.

“Appointment of Mr Tiwari as Delhi BJP chief has sent a strong message in the Poorvanchalis community, which always demanded greater says in the city’s politics. Through Mr Tiwari, the BJP leadership conveyed a message to Poorvanchalis that it not only concerned, but also ready to give important and key position in city’s politics,” he added.