The recent induction of prominent faces has led to rising uncertainty and lobbying for tickets for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. (Press Trust of India)
With just weeks to go before Delhi votes in the Assembly election, the BJP is seeing prospective candidates lobby for party tickets and intrigue against fellow contenders, even as senior leaders face heartburn over the induction of new faces, such as former IPS officer Kiran Bedi.
Despite the fact that the BJP has not announced its candidates for the imminent polls, party workers have already started campaigning.
The most eyed position within the BJP at the moment is the party's projected face for Delhi's top job - the office of the Chief Minister. Senior leaders, many of whose names have been doing the rounds as prospects to become the party's Chief Ministerial candidate, have been smarting under the pomp surrounding the induction of Ms Bedi.
She joined the party on Thursday, in what has been seen as a coup for party president Amit Shah, and has been announced as one of the faces to be fielded in the elections, sparking speculation that she might take on AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal.
Mr Shah has also had to deal with infighting within the Delhi unit, asking Delhi unit general secretary Vijay Sharma to speak with senior leaders to ensure unity. The move came after Mr Kejriwal, during a press conference on January 16, levelled graft allegations against Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay. Mr Kejriwal had claimed that a Delhi BJP leader, whom he refused to name, had provided him with the documents based on which he had made the allegations.
Mr Shah sought to give ground level workers a favourable perspective to overcome rising lobbying for tickets, in the light of a number of prominent faces joining the party in recent times. "Several people have joined the party, including Kiran bedi and Shazia Ilmi. More will join in the coming days. Don't think of this. This is for outsiders. You should think of the booth incharge and who will help the party win," he told party workers at Hari Nagar.
The BJP's Central Election Committee is expected to announces its list of candidates after meeting on Monday. However, some, like former AAP MLA Maninder Singh Dhir, have already started campaigning in the belief that they would get a ticket.