Delhi assembly elections: The BJP hopes to beat the AAP which won 67 out of 70 seats last time.
Highlights
- BJP has planned an unprecedented 5,000 small rallies ahead of Delhi polls
- BJP will reportedly host 250 rallies every day across Delhi
- BJP's Delhi unit has requested PM Modi to hold over 10 rallies
The BJP has planned an unprecedented 5,000 small rallies ahead of next month's Delhi elections, party sources told NDTV, revealing how it is pulling out all stops to displace the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the country's capital.
The eye-popping number means the BJP will host three to four rallies every day in each of Delhi's 70 constituencies - totalling 250 a day over the next 20 days.
Each of the 5,000 public meetings are expected to be attended by not more than 200 people.
"The central leadership has given strict instructions to hold small rallies and gatherings of not more than 200 people for direct communication," a source said.
Top 100 leaders of the BJP including many senior cabinet ministers are expected to be part of the election campaigning. The roster is still being worked out, sources said.
"There will be a proper roster of 100 leaders who will be expected to hold three to four such small rallies or public meetings each," they added.
The Delhi unit of the BJP has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold over 10 rallies, however, has received a go-ahead for about three so far, he added.
On Friday, the BJP had announced its first list of 57 candidates for the Delhi assembly elections, scheduled to be held on February 8.
Among the prominent names in the list are Vijender Gupta, fielded by the party from Rohini and former AAP MLA Kapil Mishra from Model Town.
However, the BJP is yet to name its candidate against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi constituency whose party AAP has named contenders for all 70 seats.
AAP had made a clean sweep of the previous polls, bagging 67 seats to leave the BJP with just three.
However, the main opposition party hopes to leverage its performance in the Lok Sabha elections - in which the BJP won all seven seats from the capital - when the votes for the upcoming polls are counted on February 11.