Dropped, then given Delhi ticket within a day, why BJP could not ignore Mohan Singh Bisht

Associated with both the RSS and the BJP “since his childhood”, as per insiders, the BJP had announced Mishra’s candidature from Bisht’s home turf in its second list of 29 picks last Saturday, citing internal surveys and the modified demographic profile of the area being more “in favour” of Mishra, a firebrand Hindutva-cum-Purvanchali face, compared to Bisht.

The announcement was termed a “big mistake” by Bisht with possible implications for the BJP’s electoral prospects not only in Karawal Nagar, but also in pockets where the Uttarakhandi diaspora resides across the capital. A day later, the BJP announced his candidature from Mustafabad – a significant chunk of which “used to be his home turf” not long ago.

“This was a very significant decision by the party… He (Bisht) is not just dead honest and accessible to his constituents but has demonstrated experience in both raising his voice for local issues, ensuring the delivery of developmental projects on the ground and resolving problems brought to him by citizens,” a senior Delhi BJP leader said.

“If he was not given an opportunity, not just the Uttarakhandi diaspora based in Delhi, but also the Rajput community to which he belongs would have got upset at the seeming slight exhibited by the BJP towards their tallest, if not the only such, leader in the capital,” added the BJP leader.

According to party insiders, soon after Bisht went public with his grouse against the BJP after being replaced by Mishra, he was “convinced by a cross-section of the BJP’s national and state leadership” that his being accommodated in subsequent lists was “a matter of time”.

“He remained completely composed throughout the day (Sunday), during which he was asked to preside over organisational meetings to chalk the way forward for his campaign in Mustafabad, before his name was finally announced as the candidate from the seat where he is very popular among the Pahadi community, which occupies significant chunks of this constituency as well,” a party insider said.

“More than around 60% of the current area under the Mustafabad seat – which was carved out of the Karawal Nagar Assembly constituency after delimitation in 2008 – used to be Mohan ji’s stronghold and he is still immensely popular in such areas,” the insider added.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Bisht, following the conclusion of his second preparatory meeting of the day in Mustafabad on Sunday, acknowledged the BJP’s “support” for his candidature given his experience.

“I was the MLA of Karawal Nagar from 1998 to 2008 when the Mustafabad constituency was formed. The people here have come out on the streets in support of me (after the announcement)… There is also a lot of support from the party… I am sure that Mustafabad will be the first seat that the BJP will win,” he said.

While its leadership’s stitch in time may have saved the BJP’s fortunes from tanking in both Karawal Nagar and Mustafabad – areas which had witnessed the 2020 Delhi riots to varying degrees – skeptics said a significant community had been overlooked across both when it came to the candidature of Mishra and Bisht.

“While the Purvanchali, Pahadi and Muslim communities dominate in both seats, the Gujjar population seems to have been overlooked by the BJP in regards to ticket selection,” a senior leader said. “The BJP has limited expectations when it comes to voters from the Muslim community; but overlooking the Gujjars, especially in Karawal Nagar, seems to be an error.”