BJP battle to find match for Sheila Dikshit, BJP struggle, Delhi BJP, Sheila Dikshit, Vijay Goel, BJP, NDA, Congress, Delhi assembly poll 2103.
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- Category: Delhi political News
- Last Updated: Thursday, 22 January 2015 20:50
BJP battle to find match for Sheila Dikshit .
NEW DELHI: With barely two months remaining for the assembly polls, the Delhi BJP is struggling to find a strong leader to take on chief ministerSheila Dikshit and Aam Aadmi Party presidentArvind Kejriwal who are expected to contest from New Delhi seat.
The latest name to surface is that of Ram Bhaj (75) who is part of the old guard and has won several elections from the erstwhile Sarojini Nagar seat-a large part of which now falls in New Delhi constituency. However, Bhaj has lost two back-to-back polls to the Congress on Sarojini Nagar seat. Since then he has been serving as convener of the party's senior citizen cell.
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"Bhaj has been in politics since 1964 and has won eight elections from Sarojini Nagar seat. His electorate mainly comprises government employees since he has been part of NDMC as vice-chairman for a long time," said a senior BJP leader.
Sources say state president Vijay Goel has been pushing for film actor Kirron Kher's name though senior leaders are of the view that a glamorous face against strong rivals will lower the party's image. Kher's sudden appearance in Goel's bijli-paani rally in August at Ramleela Ground is viewed as part of his strategy to promote her.
Other names shortlisted by the party's election panel include former MLA Vijay Jolly who had dared to contest against the chief minister in the 2008 polls. Jolly, however, lost to Dikshit by a significant margin and has refused to repeat the gambit.
There is also a list of young debutants eyeing the seat for eyeballs. Kiran Chopra, a social activist who is a hit among senior citizens, is one such name. Chopra is believed to be close to senior BJP leaders at the national level and it is they who have recommended her name for the ticket.
Party president of New Delhi district Rajiv Rana is another. Rana reportedly has the backing of Shahnawaz Hussain. Former state-level youth wing president Sunil Yadav is also keen to contest from the seat.