Delhi BJP retains most sitting MLAs

Sahib Singh also got Devinder Singh, who replaced Rajinder Gupta as transport minister last month, nominated in the Outer Delhi seat of Nangloi, despite stiff opposition from the rank and file, who wanted Narendra Bindal. The party leaders had to prevail upon the workers who threatened to resign at one point.

In the key constituency of Ashok Vihar which is state president Mange Ram Garg’s home ground, general secretary Shyam Lal Garg has got nominated. Madal-level leaders and workers were trying get him nominated in Tri Nagar constituency, which went to Nand Kishore Garg much to their chagrin.

“That way there was division of opinion on practically all seats. We had to perform a balancing act against all odds,” said Vijay K. Malhotra, chairman of the campaign committee. In a reshuffle of constituencies, former transport minister Rajendra Gupta is being shifted from his Malviya Nagar seat to Hauz Khas and Delhi tourism minister S.P. Ratawal from Karol Bagh to Baljit Nagar.

Though past performance and winnablity of the candidate was the BJP’s declared criteria, the high-command had to give in to extraneous pressure. Thus the BJP top-brass decided to keep the Bawana constituency for Om Prakash Chautala’s Harayana Lok Dal, thereby sacrificing the party’s own sitting MLA Chand Ram, who is unlikely to get nominated elsewhere.

Likewise former Janata Dal spokesperson, Vrijesh Pratap Choudhury who switched camps and joined the BJP, is being nominated from Chandni Chowk in place of the sitting MLA Basudev Captan, who is rumoured to be insolvent. Trans-Yamuna is another area which is going to see some change of faces, with four of the sitting MLAs Ram Pal Kirana, Master Balbir Singh and Madan Lal Gava not getting tickets.

Similarly, Om Prakash Sahu is being nominated from Sahibabad Daulatpur constituency in place of Jeet Ram Solanki. And Laksman Singh is getting the Narela ticket in place of Inder Raj Singh.