Post-Assam polls,Mittal pooling in for ‘friend’ Goel’s campaign

Working behind closed doors in “informal arrangement”,Mittal is working as Goel’s trouble-shooter,trying to get all dissidents onboard. In the past couple of days,he has had meetings with all councillors and party office-bearers who were reportedly ‘angry’ with Goel,or were working half-heartedly on his election campaign. Among these,party insiders said,are former Mayor Arti Mehra and Delhi Cantonment MLA Karan Singh Tanwar — both had nursed ambitions to run for the New Delhi seat.

Mittal’s presence,however,will be limited to Goel’s election office at Lodhi Estate — he will not be seen at the candidate’s rallies or padyatras. “He is a good friend and has always helped me,” Goel said,“but he is not overseeing my campaign.”

With just a week to go for D-day,the emphasis is now on booth management and reaching out to the voters through party workers on a one-to-one basis.  

Mittal had been present in Goel’s election office when he fought the Lok Sabha elections from Sadar Bazaar in 1996,and then twice from Chandni Chowk in 1998 and 1999. Incidentally,a party insider pointed out,Goel had lost to Congress’s Jagdish Tytler from Sadar when Mittal was missing in action. Mittal was reportedly busy at work in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar at the time.

The BJP had won only three out of 10 Assembly constituencies that form the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat. Those working closely on Goel’s campaign said the BJP is particularly nervous about its prospects in RK Puram and Rajinder Nagar Assembly constituencies: in RK Puram,Congress’s Barkha Singh had won by 9,317 votes,and BJP had emerged third behind Congre ss and the BSP in Rajinder Nagar.