Personal touch, star power: How BJP’s seven are campaigning in Delhi

Those with a ‘celebrity’ tag such as East Delhi’s Gautam Gambhir, North West Delhi’s Hans Raj Hans and North East Delhi’s Manoj Tiwari are focussing more on road shows and public speeches.

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BJP Chandni Chowk candidate Harsh Vardhan meets people in Shalimar Bagh. (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna)

With barely a week left for Delhi to go to polls, the BJP’s seven candidates in the capital have stepped up campaigning — each with its own unique twist.

While Chandni Chowk candidate Dr Harsh Vardhan is relying mostly on padyatras and meeting heads of different associations, those with a ‘celebrity’ tag such as East Delhi’s Gautam Gambhir, North West Delhi’s Hans Raj Hans and North East Delhi’s Manoj Tiwari are focussing more on road shows and public speeches.

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West Delhi candidate Parvesh Sahib Singh is holding nukkad sabhas at the ward level, while New Delhi pick Meenakshi Lekhi is mixing campaigning with corner meetings, road shows and padyatras. South Delhi pick Ramesh Bidhuri, meanwhile, is spending considerable time with workers forming strategies, holding meetings with village heads and other influential community leaders.

“My workers ask me to do road shows, but I believe in a traditional method of politics. From morning to evening, I try to reach as many doors as possible,” Harsh Vardhan said.

Tiwari’s campaigns, on the other hand, include performances by regional artistes such as Bhojpuri singer Khesari Lal Yadav and Haryanvi singer-dancer Sapna Chaudhary.

BJP leader Praveen Shankar Kapoor, who is looking after Gambhir’s campaign, said, “As he is new to the party, our target is to reach as many areas as possible in a short time. So we are organising more road shows and speeches… Harsh Vardhan has already been MP; he has a very strong cadre base, which will work for him actively in areas he cannot reach.”

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A senior BJP leader said, “The good thing about a road show is that you can reach out to more people… But it can also backfire if people see you but are not able to communicate with you or express their problems.”

In a meeting last week, the BJP leadership told its candidates that they should try to establish a two-way communication with voters, after which some rode the Metro to connect with people.

While the campaign strategy varies, all candidates have asked for votes mostly for work done by PM Modi in ensuring national security, especially against the backdrop of the Balakot airstrike. Plans on what they would do if elected to power rarely figure in their speeches.