STRIFE IN DELHI BJP OUT IN THE OPEN

ber, but poor management resulted in a small turnout during the rally, which was addressed by party president Amit Shah himself.

A number of leaders from Punjabi, Baniya and Jat communities in Delhi BJP have been opposed to the elevation of Tiwari—who belongs to Bihar—as state unit presi- dent. His appointment had also irked leaders who considered themselves senior to Tiwari and dubbed him as an “outsider” to Delhi politics. Parvesh Verma, who is the son of former Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma and has many supporters in the Jat community, feels that he has been sidelined. Similarly, Dr Harsh Vardhan is also not pleased with the affairs of the party in Delhi.

According to BJP leaders, the two-day state executive meeting, held immediately after the BJP’s national executive meeting in Delhi, was called to discuss and implement the roadmap laid by the central leadership for the coming elections. “The idea was to deliberate upon the strategies and find a workable roadmap for propagating the Centre’s achievements. Countering the AAP in Delhi was another key agenda of the meeting,” a party leader said.

Union Minister and Chandni Chowk MP Dr Harsh Vardhan, East Delhi MP Maheish Girri and West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma skipped the meeting on both days. Sources said Verma is miffed with the state unit leadership after he, along with the Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta, was not backed during their protest at the Delhi Secretariat. While the two leaders sat on a protest against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who had laid siege at the Lieutenant Governor’s house, this did not go well with party president Amit Shah who pulled them up for sharing stage with AAP defector Kapil Mishra.