To change the game, BJP pits Harshvardhan against Sheila
24 Oct 2013 6:33 AM IST
Around the same time five years back, in 2008, Harshvardhan, then the party’s state unit president, was denied nomination as it was bitterly opposed by the likes of current president Vijay Goel. Vijay Kumar Malhotra, the party’s deputy leader in Lok Sabha, was brought as a compromise candidate. The Dikshit camp then had rightly heaved a sigh of relief as Malhotra was found to be completely out of sync.
Dikshit refused to comment on the nomination of Vardhan. ‘It’s their prerogative to select somebody as their candidate and it’s my prerogative to comment or not comment on it,’ said Dikshit when mediapersons wanted her reaction at a briefing on the onion crisis.
The nomination of the amiable surgeon, who is credited with the introduction of ‘pulse polio campaign’ to eradicate the debilitating disease across the country, may well have changed the coordinates of the upcoming polls. While Vardhan will have the challenge of overcoming factionalism in the distribution of tickets and defuse attempts at sabotage, his nomination would give the BJP a vital spur to push ahead with charges of alleged corruption against the Delhi government.
No wonder, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) went berserk on Twitter to discredit Vardhan as it sees its leader Arvind Kejriwal losing the anti-corruption plank to the four-term MLA from Krishna Nagar in East Delhi.
Observers feel that since Vardhan has been in politics for two decades and has maintained not only a clean but also the image of an efficient administrator, his chances of garnering anti-incumbency votes was much higher than that of AAP.
With the old guard of the party, including veteran Lal Krishna Advani and Vijay Kumar Malhotra backing Harshvardhan, the fact that he is a protégé of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) should stand the doctor in good stead.
To add to this is the huge issue of spiraling prices, which the Congress has failed to contain. Unlike 2008, the announcement of the chief ministerial candidate by the BJP this time has perked up saffron cadres and the victor of the last three elections, Sheila Dikshit, would definitely be drawing her plans afresh to overcome the changed circumstances.
Dikshit refused to comment on the nomination of Vardhan. ‘It’s their prerogative to select somebody as their candidate and it’s my prerogative to comment or not comment on it,’ said Dikshit when mediapersons wanted her reaction at a briefing on the onion crisis.
The nomination of the amiable surgeon, who is credited with the introduction of ‘pulse polio campaign’ to eradicate the debilitating disease across the country, may well have changed the coordinates of the upcoming polls. While Vardhan will have the challenge of overcoming factionalism in the distribution of tickets and defuse attempts at sabotage, his nomination would give the BJP a vital spur to push ahead with charges of alleged corruption against the Delhi government.
No wonder, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) went berserk on Twitter to discredit Vardhan as it sees its leader Arvind Kejriwal losing the anti-corruption plank to the four-term MLA from Krishna Nagar in East Delhi.
Observers feel that since Vardhan has been in politics for two decades and has maintained not only a clean but also the image of an efficient administrator, his chances of garnering anti-incumbency votes was much higher than that of AAP.
With the old guard of the party, including veteran Lal Krishna Advani and Vijay Kumar Malhotra backing Harshvardhan, the fact that he is a protégé of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) should stand the doctor in good stead.
To add to this is the huge issue of spiraling prices, which the Congress has failed to contain. Unlike 2008, the announcement of the chief ministerial candidate by the BJP this time has perked up saffron cadres and the victor of the last three elections, Sheila Dikshit, would definitely be drawing her plans afresh to overcome the changed circumstances.
Next Story
