Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga has nearly 649,000 followers on Twitter. (File)
Highlights
- Tajinder Pal Bagga is a very active BJP voice on Twitter
- He was trolled when he did not make it to the first list
- Voting for the 70-member Delhi assembly will be held on February 8
A list of BJP candidates for Delhi released past midnight on Monday includes Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, its spokesperson, who was trolled on Twitter when he did not make it to the first list.
Tajinder Pal Bagga, a very active BJP voice on Twitter, will contest from Hari Nagar, though he was reportedly keen on Tilak Nagar. This morning, he posted: "How's the Josh #Bagga4HariNagar". The tweet included a campaign song with the words: "Bagga, Bagga har jagah". The lyrics are all about his role in various Delhi campaigns. The hashtag #Bagga4HariNagar soon became the top trend on Twitter.
Mr Bagga has nearly 649,000 followers on Twitter. Before joining the BJP, he had an outfit called "Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena" that he said was a 'task force against traitors, anti-nationals and the corrupt'.
He emerged in the media glare in 2011 when he allegedly barged into the chambers of lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan and attacked him for his views on Kashmir. In 2017, the Delhi BJP appointed him its spokesperson.
Mr Bagga faces Aam Aadmi Party's Rajkumari Dhillon and Congress's Surender Sethi in Hari Nagar.
"BJP will win more than 50 seats in the upcoming Assembly elections. Kejriwal ji is afraid of this. That is why documents were burnt at Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) office, 15 days before the polls," Mr Bagga told news agency ANI. A fire broke out at Delhi's Transport Department on Monday; all documents were burnt, senior fire official Sunil Chaudhary had said.
In its first list released on January 17, BJP named 20 new faces among 57 candidates. Mr Bagga's name was missing, which produced thousands of tweets with the hashtag #DontCryBagga.
To one of his disparagers, who said she would campaign for him, he responded: "I am BJP, contesting from 70 seat. You are most welcome."
Voting for the 70-member Delhi assembly will be held on February 8. The results will be declared three days later.
The BJP has been out of power in Delhi for over two decades and is seen to face a tough challenge in the form of the Aam Aadmi Party, which won 67 of 70 seats in the last election, reducing the BJP to three.