MCD election results: Candidate churn, PM Modi appeal scripted BJP win
From replacing all sitting councillors to capitalising on the Prime Minister’s popularity, BJP chief Amit Shah rolled out blueprint two months ago.
4 min read
A poster outside Delhi BJP office pays tribute to victims of Sukma attack. Source: Oinam Anand
Behind THE BJP’s sweep in MCD elections was a meticulous strategy carved out by BJP chief Amit Shah, who was determined to win back Delhi after the party’s humiliating defeat in 2015, when it won three of 70 Assembly seats.
For the mission — the blueprint for which was prepared two months ago — Shah personally oversaw candidate selection, and chose senior leaders to campaign and supervise electioneering.
On Wednesday, as the party won 181 of 270 wards, Shah, who is touring West Bengal, credited the victory to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The people of Delhi have rejected the negative politics and politics of excuses and helped Modiji’s vijay rath move forward. It is a recognition of Modiji’s leadership,” he said.
In fact, Modi’s popularity was the BJP’s ammunition to counter anti-incumbency the party faced after 10 years in power in the MCDs.
“To complement Modiji’s popular image and to reinforce the party’s focus on New India, the party decided to change all its existing councillors,” said a party leader. It also did not allow candidates to jump wards and gave priority to a number of mandal- and district-level workers.
Another senior leader said, “People may have had resentment against sitting councillors, but we changed all of them. Now who would they have resentment against?”
According to BJP leaders, it was a strategy that Modi and Shah had used in Gujarat, where the party has been on a winning spree for almost two decades. “Narendra bhai had once replaced all councillors in Gujarat and won 2/3rd seats in local elections. Same strategy worked in MCD,” BJP leader Sushil Modi tweeted.
Party insiders said the campaign for MCD polls was “virtually launched by the PM himself, when he marched from the Ashoka Road circle to the BJP office” on March 12 — a day after the party’s victory in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand elections.
“We were not complacent with our victories. Top leaders were asked to campaign for the party,” said the BJP leader.
Senior ministers Rajnath Singh, M Venkaiah Naidu, Smriti Irani and Uma Bharti campaigned for the MCD polls. Thousands of posters and banners put up across the capital highlighted Modi’s leadership to woo the voters.
Sources said the appointment of Manoj Tiwari in December was also part of the strategy as he is an “articulate leader capable of countering AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal”.
On Sunday, Tiwari credited Modi and Shah for the win and continued his attack on the AAP. “They are in power. They should talk about decorating the city rather than ruining it. They should bless children rather than curse them with dengue. We respected the people’s mandate when 67 seats went against BJP. AAP is now saying they will launch a movement, but who will the movement be against? The people? The party that had got 67 seats has not even got 67 wards.”
Meanwhile, celebrations at the party office in Delhi were muted, against the backdrop of the Sukma attack that killed 25 CRPF men. Outside was a poster with photographs of a personnel killed in the attack along with those of Modi, Shah and Tiwari. It carried the words ‘Maa tujhe salaam’. “We are dedicating this victory to those who laid down their lives for us,” said Tiwari.
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