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BJP hopes BSP can do the trick for it in Delhi
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is banking heavily on the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) factor to bring it to power during the November 29 Delhi assembly elections.
- By Ajay Jha, Chief Correspondent
- Published: 23:54 November 13, 2008
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New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is banking heavily on the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) factor to bring it to power during the November 29 Delhi assembly elections.
With various opinion polls tipping the ruling Congress party to emerge victorious for the third consecutive term, though with a reduced majority, the BJP's hopes are pinned on the BSP emerging stronger.
Delhi has traditionally been known for its bipolar politics dominated by the Congress and BJP. However, the BSP, which rules neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, is making a serious bid to emerge as the third force in the state politics.
Alliance ruled out
But while its prospects seem to hinge on the BSP emerging stronger, the BJP is ruling out the possibility of joining hands with it to form a coalition government. "We will have no post-poll alliance with BSP," said BJP national general secretary Arun Jaitley, who's overseeing the party's campaign in Delhi.
According to Jaitley, the BSP, which has failed to win a single seat in the past three elections ever since Delhi was granted limited statehood and an assembly, may carve out about 10 per cent of the popular vote, enough to derail the Congress.
An indication that BSP's chief Mayawati's magic has started working in the national capital was visible last year when her party surprised many by winning 17 out of 272 seats in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections, helping BJP emerge victorious.
The BSP factor had helped the BJP come to power in Uttarakhand and Punjab earlier this year as well, since ideologically it thrives on polarising the known Congress vote bank among the lower-caste Hindus and Muslims.
The BJP, which had emerged victorious in the first Delhi assembly polls in 1993 by wining 49 out of 70 seats, fared rather badly by winning 18 and 20 seats respectively in the 1998 and 2003 elections.
BJP has identified 10 assembly constituencies where BSP would cut into the Congress vote bank. It feels that, with some powerful campaigning, it can exploit the situation and emerge victorious.
Carpet bombing
For this purpose, BJP has drawn out a plan to impress floating or uncommitted voters by going in for "carpet bombing", the term it uses to describe its tactic of going for a series of rallies.
BJP has planned a series of rallies across all 70 assembly constituencies and has lined up a long list of star campaigners who will concentrate on Delhi for four days during the last four days of campaigning.
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