Ex-councillor is BJP’s Rajinder Nagar bypoll pick

A former general secretary of the BJP Delhi unit, he had earlier been a councillor from Rajinder Nagar and standing committee chairperson of North MCD.

"It is a battle of outsider versus local," Bhatia said.

The BJP Saturday announced former councillor Rajesh Bhatia (57) as its candidate from the Rajinder Nagar Assembly constituency, where bypolls are scheduled to be held on June 23. A former general secretary of the BJP state unit, Bhatia had earlier been a councillor from Rajinder Nagar from 2012 to 2017 and standing committee chairperson of the North MCD.

Bhatia rose through the ranks in the party – he started off as president of the Rajinder Nagar Mandal Yuva Morcha from 1985-88 and went on to become BJP mandal general secretary from 1988-91 and Karol Bagh district president from 2010 to 2013.

“It is a battle of an outsider versus local as the AAP candidate is from Karawal Nagar. AAP MLA from the area, Raghav Chadha, deserted the constituency despite getting people’s support. He was the Delhi Jal Board head but did not resolve the water crisis,” Bhatia said, adding that solving the water crisis would be his priority.

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The AAP has fielded MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak from the constituency. The seat fell vacant after Chadha was nominated by the AAP to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab.

Senior BJP leaders said Bhatia had been demanding a ticket from the constituency for a long time. “He has done impressive work for the party in Uttarakhand polls. Also, being a Punjabi and a local add to his credentials,” a leader said.

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“He was unhappy on not being given a position on state president Adesh Gupta’s team. So, the party decided to put him in charge of the 2022 Uttarakhand elections, where he was Pravasi Pradesh chunav pramukh. He performed well and the party won,” said another leader.

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Meanwhile, the Congress fielded its former municipal councillor, Prem Lata, as its candidate. A press release issued by the AICC said Congress president Sonia Gandhi has approved the candidature.

Lata, who won the municipal polls from Pusa ward under Rajinder Nagar constituency in 2012, was defeated from Inderpuri ward in 2017.

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