Delhi BJP likely replace over dozen office bearers before assembly polls

In a move to overhaul the Delhi BJP organisation, the party's top leadership is likely to replace over a dozen office bearers before the assembly polls, sources said.

In the recent past, the Delhi BJP has witnessed a difference of opinion among its office bearers over a host of issues and this is intensifying as the Delhi assembly polls, scheduled to held early next year, comes closer, a senior Delhi BJP leader said.

"The national leaders believe that the Delhi BJP should have its leaders on the same page before the crucial assembly polls. Most of the office bearers who are likely to be removed in the reorganisation process were appointed in the regime of former national general secretary(organisation) Ramlal," he said.

Office bearers below the post of Delhi BJP president are likely to face the axe, a top leader of the saffron party's city unit said.

"In the reshuffle, opportunity will be given to experienced as well as youth workers whose hard work and dedication was noted in the Lok Sabha polls in which the party registered a record victory on all seven seats with huge margins," he said.

The current Delhi unit includes president Manoj Tiwari, three general secretaries, nine vice presidents and as many secretaries, and around 10 spokespersons.

The overhaul has also been necessitated as some office bearers have expressed their inability to work on the posts that are currently being held by them.

Besides, the core team, there are also several cells of the party that may see a change of guard, BJP leaders said.

Though the BJP managed to win all the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, MPs have complained that they don't have "necessary support" from some office bearers.

"The national leadership has been aware of this thing and has extended its support to the plan of replacement of some of the office bearers to bring in new ones, thus imparting more cohesion and strength in Delhi BJP," they said.

The BJP has been out of power since the last two decades in Delhi.

Riding the wave of success in the Lok Sabha polls, party leaders are aiming to unseat the ruling AAP which stormed to power winning 67 of the 70 seats in the Assembly polls in 2015.