BJP plans ‘ show of might’ in run- up to 2019 election
Party focuses on Poorvanchalis, who have 40% voteshare
Gearing up for the next general election, the BJP has planned a big show of strength in the national capital with four massive rallies of major constituents of the city — Poorvanchalis, women, youth and dalits in the coming months.
The first rally will be of Poorvanchalis, the dominant vote bank in the city, which has nearly 40 per cent voteshare. Either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or BJP president Amit Shah will address the first rally of people from Poorvanchal, eastern UP and Bihar.
The rally of Poorvanchalis is seen as Delhi BJP’s grand show of its Poorvanchal might in the national capital.
According to a Delhi BJP source, while the Poorvanchali vote bank is gradually increasing in the city, the party wants to keep its share intact. “The exercise also aims to silence the voice of discontent against Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari in recent times along with his reach in the community,” he said.
Sources in the BJP said that the exercise also aims at preparing the ground for the next Lok Sabha elections where the party will be defending all seven parliamentary seats in the national capital. They said that through this rally, the BJP will be wooing the Poorvanchali voters in Delhi, which are becoming all the more dominant especially after the rise of Mr Tiwari in the capital’s political landscape.
Considering the dominance of the Poorvanchali voters in the city, who constitute over 40 per cent of voters in the city, the BJP central leadership had appointed Bhojpuri actor turned politician Mr Tiwari as its city unit president in November 2016. His appointment was followed by BJP’s historic win in the municipal polls in April 2017.
“All BJP office- bearers and workers have been told to prepare for a historic Poorvanchali rally to be held at Ramlila Maidan. More than one lakh people are likely to attend the rally. On similar lines, the rallies will be organised by the mahila, dalits and youth wing of the party,” Mr Tiwari told this newspaper.
Delhi BJP Poorvanchal Morcha president Manish Singh said the date will be finalised in a couple of days.
In Delhi, there are at least 20 assembly constituencies that are dominated by Poorvanchalis where they constitute 20 to 45 per cent of the vote share. The Poorvanchali dominated seats in Delhi include Burari, Seemapuri, Gokalpuri, Karawal Nagar, Kirari, Badli, Nangloi, Rithala, Matiala, Vikaspuri, Dwarka, Uttam Nagar, Sangam Vihar, Deoli, Badarpur, Tughlakabad, Patparganj, Laxmi Nagar, Wazirpur and Rajinder Nagar.