Delhi BJP to organise 'Purvanchal Mahakumbh' Sunday; Amit Shah likely to address it

The BJP's Delhi unit will Sunday organise a "Purvanchal Mahakumbh" at the Ramlila ground here for people from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar settled in the city.

The mega event is likely to be addressed by BJP president Amit Shah and other senior leaders and is expected to be attended by around 1.25 lakh people, party leaders claimed.

"The 'Purvanchal Mahakumbh' will be addressed by BJP chief Amit Shah and many other senior leaders including cabinet ministers in the Modi government," Delhi BJP Purvanchal Morcha president Manish Singh said.

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari is very popular among the Purvanchalis. The party will look to cash in on it in the Lok Sabha elections. The community had backed the party in the municipal elections held last year, a senior leader said.

"The mega event will help in strengthening the community's support for Tiwari and highlight the Modi government's development works in UP, Bihar and Jharkhand where Purvanchalis come from," he said.

Singh said the party had started making arrangements for the rally two months ago.

"Over 15,00 buses will be used to ferry people attending the rally from all parts of the city. Over three lakh invitation cards printed for the event have already exhausted and we have placed an order for 50,000 more," he said.

Purvanchali voters constitute 40 per cent of the total electorate in Delhi, according to a rough estimate.

Tiwari, an actor-turned-politician, is a BJP MP from North East Delhi. He was appointed the party's Delhi unit president in November 2016.

The BJP's good showing in the municipal corporation elections, just a few months after Tiwari's appointment as Delhi BJP chief, was attributed to his reach and popularity among Purvanchalis.

Delhi's demographic composition has changed over decades, with Purvanchalis forming up to 45 per cent of the electorate in several Assembly constituencies including Sangam Vihar, Badarpur, Kirari, Burari, Rithala, Tughlakabad, Badarpur, Dwarka, and Laxmi Nagar among others.