Delhi polls: BJP's massive campaign fails to propel party's prospects

BJP's massive campaign in the national capital that saw 6,500 public meetings and the well-oiled election machinery of the party failed to create an impact as it suffered a drubbing in the Delhi Assembly polls on Tuesday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the campaign of which was focussed more on issues related to nationalism and Shaheen Bagh, failed to find support among voters. It bagged eight seats, five more than its 2015 tally.

The BJP campaign was led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party president J P Nadda. Together, they addressed 68 public meetings and took part in 24 roadshows. While Nadda covered all the 70 Assembly segments in the national capital, Shah crisscrossed 60.

Besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two rallies, the BJP-led NDA had fielded seven chief ministers -- Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), Vijay Rupani (Gujarat), Jairam Thakur (Himachal Pradesh), Biren Singh (Manipur), Trivendra Singh Rawat (Uttarakhand), Sarbananda Sonowal (Assam) and Nitish Kumar (Bihar).

Two former chief ministers -- Devendra Fadnavis (Maharashtra) and Shivraj Singh Chauhan (Madhya Pradesh) -- also campaigned for the BJP.

Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani held 26 meetings, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed 12 rallies and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari held 10 meetings.

On the other hand, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addressed 200 public meetings, held roadshows and town halls.

The Congress's campaign failed to take off initially. But in the final lap, party leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel campaigned for it. However, it failed to revive the poll prospects of the grand old party.