BJP Expels 11 Rebel Candidates Ahead Of Delhi Civic Body Polls

The BJP on Monday expelled 11 rebel MCD candidates following a meeting chaired by BJP national president JP Nadda.

With less than a fortnight left for the elections to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Mr Nadda chaired a review meeting of party leaders on Monday where party MLAs, MPs were called.

Mr Nadda came equipped with reports on the work done by the party's public representatives in their respective constituencies.

According to sources, important decisions were taken at the review meeting, the principal agenda of which was for the BJP to return to the helm of the MCD for the fourth time.

Speaking to ANI, a source said Mr Nadda also asked the party leaders to reach out to the general public and spread the word on Prime Minister Narendra Modi handing keys of 3,024 flats to people from economically weaker sections (EWS), under 'In-Situ Slum Rehabilitation Project'.

"Developments such as these must be conveyed to the public so that the people of Delhi are aware about the achievements of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi," sources quoted Mr Nadda as saying.

"JP Nadda also chided senior party leaders such as Vijendra Gupta for not reaching out to the masses. The party is believed to release its manifesto for the civic body polls on November 24, 25," a source said.

Notably, Mr Nadda conveyed a strong message that nothing is more important than the party organisation. "Unity is very important to strengthen the organisation," a source quoted Mr Nadda as saying.

Soon after the review meeting, the BJP suspended 11 rebel MCD candidates from the party's primary membership for six years. Among them were Lavlesh Sharma, who entered as an Independent candidate from ward 250, Reenu Jain from ward 200, Rajkumar Khurana fron ward 91 and Dharamveer Singh from ward 174, among others.

According to a BJP source, these 11 candidates are part of 30-35 members whom the high command has decided to expel.

The party will hold a 'Maha Graha Sampark Abhiyan' on November 27 during which 10 to 15 senior party leaders will hold 'Jan Sampark' public relations drives across many wards. The party's MPs, and MLAs have also been instructed to undertake 'Padyatras' in their respective constituencies.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)