BJP eyes Jat votes seriously as Parvesh backs Bidhuri

The BJP’s efforts at wooing the Jat community following Congress MP Sajjan Kumar’s withdrawal got a boost on Monday,after Parvesh Verma came out in support of the party candidate from South Delhi.

Ramesh Bidhuri is the BJP’s candidate from the constituency.

Verma,son of former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma,is said to hold sway over the community. He had openly protested after being denied a ticket from the West Delhi constituency,and had kept off the party campaign trail.

Interestingly,Verma was absent at the inauguration of Jagdish Mukhi’s election office. Mukhi is the BJP’s candidate from the West Delhi constituency. “I did not get an invitation. Besides,I was in Rajasthan that day,” Verma said.

Bidhuri said Mukhi was chosen over Verma as the latter was young and had many years in politics ahead of him. He said,“In a family,the son is given a car only when he clears Class XII.” He,however,denied that his analogy meant Verma still had to pass a test before he could be given a ticket.

Verma,on the other hand,more tactfully said he works for the party. “I will always work with the party in which ever position it wants me to. During the last Delhi Cantonment polls,I worked as a polling agent. I am free and will be out there in the field whenever the party wants me to campaign,” Verma said.

Verma,however,did accept that after being assured by several party leaders for more than two years that he would be given a ticket from West Delhi,he felt betrayed. “I am a MP-in-waiting now,” he said.

Jats stand at 80,000 among the 15.5 lakh voters in South Delhi. These votes,however,become extremely important for the BJP,as Kanwar Singh Tanwar,BSP candidate from the area,is a Gurjjar and can eat into the 1.5 lakh Gurjjar votes the BJP is eyeing.

In such a scenario,Parvesh Verma’s presence can be a shot in the arm for the BJP in South Delhi. The South Delhi seat has been carved out of the erstwhile Outer Delhi seat,where Sahib Singh Verma was active. Out of the 10 Assembly constituencies in the South Delhi seat,nine are from the erstwhile Outer Delhi seat.

“Withdrawing Sajjan Kumar is an internal matter of the Congress. But I am sure South Delhi residents are relieved by the decision. In the five years of Sajjan Kumar as area MP,no development has taken place,” Bidhuri said.