BJP campaign for Delhi polls to highlight national issues like CAA, 'failures' of AAP govt

BJP's campaign for Delhi Assembly elections will go full steam ahead on Thursday when Union Home minister Amit Shah will hold public meetings and a 'padyatra' in the city.

The party has planned to raise national issues such as the Citizenship Amendment Act, the violence over it, and the abrogation of Article 370; it will also try to expose the "failures" of the ruling AAP, said a senior Delhi BJP leader.

Shah, who has made it clear that the new citizenship law will not be withdrawn and those protesting against it can continue to do so, will address two meetings in Matiala and Nangloi Jat assembly constituencies. He will then lead a padyatra in Uttam Nagar in the evening, said a Delhi BJP statement.

The party has drawn up a list of "star campaigners" for the February 8 election, who include Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president JP Nadda, Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari, and chief ministers of the party-ruled states, besides Shah.

The list also includes Bhojpuri film stars Ravi Kishan and Dinesh Lal 'Nirahua', who will campaign in constituencies having a sizeable number of Purvanchali voters.

Other top BJP leaders and Union ministers will also campaign extensively ahead of the elections.

The top leadership of the BJP, including Shah, Nadda, organisation secretary BL Santosh, on Wednesday held a three-hour meeting at the Delhi BJP office to analyse poll preparations.

"The thrust of the party will be CAA and the recent developments related to it including incidents of violence and arson in Delhi and how the AAP and Kejriwal government have been dealing with it," said a person who participated in the meeting.

BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Goel said the party will reach out to people to make them aware about the citizenship law, abrogation of Article 370, Ram temple and other issues besides exposing how Kejriwal government has "failed" them in last five years.

The party has also planned to hold more than 5,000 small meetings and padyatras in all 70 constituencies across Delhi to contact voters.

"National office-bearers, chief ministers, Union ministers and other senior party leaders will hold these small meetings of 200-300 people, besides holding padyatras," said a member of Delhi BJP's election campaign committee.

Another important aspect of the campaign will be to highlight the Modi government's work like providing ownership rights to residents in unauthorised colonies and slum redevelopment scheme to provide permanent houses to those living in Jhuggi-Jhopri (JJ) clusters in the city, he said.

Voting for Delhi Assembly elections will be held on February 8 and results will be out on February 11.

BJP is contesting on 67 seats and has left two seats to JD(U) and one for LJP, its alliance partners in Delhi Assembly polls.