Modi’s ‘Vijays’ look for safe seats in upcoming city poll
1 Oct 2013 5:54 AM IST
In his massive rally at Japanese Park in Rohini on Sunday, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi hailed the Vijays of the party – Vijay Goel, Vijender Gupta and Vijay Kumar Malhotra – saying ‘Yahan to Vijay hi Vijay hain’ (We have several winners here). But with the poll bugle going off, the Vijayas of Narendra Modi-led BJP have shunned their karambhumis (workplace) to search for the safest bets, which are considered A-category assembly segments for the party. Even the BJP’s shehzadas (princelings) are seeking refuge in their ageing fathers to make their political début.
This is in sharp contrast to the party’s plan of action for the coming days, with the BJP’s state president Vijay Goel saying on Monday, ‘The party’s Assembly poll campaign will now move on to segment level. The BJP has identified five key issues to focus on in the coming days. We will focus on power, water, inflation, corruption and women’s safety.’
Vijay Goel himself, according to sources, is willing to contest from the Shalimar Garden legislative segment, which the party won four consecutive times since 1993, first by former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma and thrice by present BJP MLA Ravinder Nath Bansal. Besides Bansal, local councillor and chairman of standing committee in North DMC, Ram Kishan Singhal, is also lobbying hard to get party nomination from this seat. ‘His workplace is mainly Chandni Chowk, prior delimitation, and New Delhi parliamentary segment where he has his office at Bangali Market,’ said a senior party leader. Goel, according to sources, has picked his workplace, Model Town MLA seat, as second option, to contest in the upcoming Delhi Assembly election. Goel’s father Charti Lal Goel was the first MLA from this seat in 1993, but it has been with the Congress for the last three assembly polls.
Meanwhile, Vijender Gupta has expressed his desire to contest from Shakur Basti MLA seat, presently represented by BJP’s Shyam Lal Garg and considered anA-category seat of the party. Gupta’s workplace is Rohini, from where he was elected councillor three times since 1997 and presently his wife Shobha is representing the seat. Rohini MLA seat is currently represented by four-time BJP MLA Jai Bhagwan Aggarwal. Vijender Gupta has now turned his focus on Shakur Basti, which the BJP wrested from Congress in 2008.
Leader of Opposition in Delhi Vidhan Sabha and MLA from Greater Kailash, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, is struggling to save his seat for his son Ajay from Vijay Jolly, who is eyeing this seat as a ‘safe bet’. Jolly is ex-MLA from Saket Assembly seat from 2003-08, but has made Sangam Vihar as his workplace. According to sources, his lobbying was nullified by present BJP MLA from Sangam Vihar HCL Gupta.
The most interesting shehzada of the city BJP is Pravesh Verma, son of former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma, who keeps on changing his preferred seat for political debut. ‘In every meeting, he changes his preference and is unable to focus on any safe seat. His optiosn so far are Mundaka, Matiala, Dwarka and Mehrauli. The local councillors and leaders who have strong public support force him to keep changing his options,’ said a senior party leader. The list of shehzadas include Rajeev Babbar, son of four-time MLA O P Babbar from Tilak Nagar and Vimal Khurana, son of former Delhi CM Madan Lal Khurana from Hari Nagar among others.
This is in sharp contrast to the party’s plan of action for the coming days, with the BJP’s state president Vijay Goel saying on Monday, ‘The party’s Assembly poll campaign will now move on to segment level. The BJP has identified five key issues to focus on in the coming days. We will focus on power, water, inflation, corruption and women’s safety.’
Vijay Goel himself, according to sources, is willing to contest from the Shalimar Garden legislative segment, which the party won four consecutive times since 1993, first by former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma and thrice by present BJP MLA Ravinder Nath Bansal. Besides Bansal, local councillor and chairman of standing committee in North DMC, Ram Kishan Singhal, is also lobbying hard to get party nomination from this seat. ‘His workplace is mainly Chandni Chowk, prior delimitation, and New Delhi parliamentary segment where he has his office at Bangali Market,’ said a senior party leader. Goel, according to sources, has picked his workplace, Model Town MLA seat, as second option, to contest in the upcoming Delhi Assembly election. Goel’s father Charti Lal Goel was the first MLA from this seat in 1993, but it has been with the Congress for the last three assembly polls.
Meanwhile, Vijender Gupta has expressed his desire to contest from Shakur Basti MLA seat, presently represented by BJP’s Shyam Lal Garg and considered anA-category seat of the party. Gupta’s workplace is Rohini, from where he was elected councillor three times since 1997 and presently his wife Shobha is representing the seat. Rohini MLA seat is currently represented by four-time BJP MLA Jai Bhagwan Aggarwal. Vijender Gupta has now turned his focus on Shakur Basti, which the BJP wrested from Congress in 2008.
Leader of Opposition in Delhi Vidhan Sabha and MLA from Greater Kailash, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, is struggling to save his seat for his son Ajay from Vijay Jolly, who is eyeing this seat as a ‘safe bet’. Jolly is ex-MLA from Saket Assembly seat from 2003-08, but has made Sangam Vihar as his workplace. According to sources, his lobbying was nullified by present BJP MLA from Sangam Vihar HCL Gupta.
The most interesting shehzada of the city BJP is Pravesh Verma, son of former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma, who keeps on changing his preferred seat for political debut. ‘In every meeting, he changes his preference and is unable to focus on any safe seat. His optiosn so far are Mundaka, Matiala, Dwarka and Mehrauli. The local councillors and leaders who have strong public support force him to keep changing his options,’ said a senior party leader. The list of shehzadas include Rajeev Babbar, son of four-time MLA O P Babbar from Tilak Nagar and Vimal Khurana, son of former Delhi CM Madan Lal Khurana from Hari Nagar among others.
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