Delhi BJP: Low after highs, cadre eager to hit refresh

Other parties in other states going to elections celebrated the loss and spoke of fading of the Modi effect, the very phenomena seen to have propelled the BJP to a win in the 2014 general elections. It became hard for the BJP Delhi unit to maintain its relevance and murmurs began.

There is a section of leaders which believes AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal should have been given time to make more “mistakes”. According to a senior leader, “Theatrics is the home ground of Kejriwal. If BJP challenges him on that, it will lose. Let people understand him and his tactics. Let’s not oppose him.”

But there are others in the BJP who believe not highlighting the wrongdoings of the government will efface the party from the political scene in Delhi.

Routine meetings lost charm, as they focused on agenda given to them by the BJP national unit. Many believe the present team headed by Satish Upadhyay has been abandoned by the national leadership. The move has backfired, with Kejriwal aiming for the top leadership. With the election of the party chief in the offing, many have started pitching for themselves. A former Delhi BJP president too is in the run for the post, claim party sources.

BJP won all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, but many believe their MPs remained missing in action on the ground level. It is when the AAP attacked Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley that all seven came together and countered Kejriwal.

A party leader claimed the fact that the MPs are facing hostility from the Delhi government is right, but nothing made all of them come together before this. “Even abusive words for the PM did not elicit this response from them,” said the leader.

Looking forward

The party is looking for new lease of life with fresh leadership and ideas. Party workers are hoping to get an experienced chief to lead them in protest and not send them home after completion of the task. The workers want a chief to make them more relevant and counter AAP so that the BJP fares well in the municipal elections, slated for 2017.