Sealing drive may hurt BJP poll prospects

New Delhi: As the national capital is all set for a mini election after the disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs, the ongoing sealing drive on the directions of the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee has put the BJP on backfoot even after its historic victory in last year’s municipal polls.

Majority of the Delhi BJP leaders feel that the ongoing sealing drive will cost the party heavily. A senior party leader told this newspaper that the BJP leadership has failed to convince people that it has been taking concrete steps to save the properties of the Delhiites from being sealed. A similar sealing drive 12 years ago had ensured Congress’ defeat in the 2007 municipal polls and it may be the BJP’s turn to face the music this time, he said.

A senior BJP leader claimed that rivals AAP and Congress have created a perception among people that the sealing is being done on the directions of the party-ruled municipal corporations.

“The crucial bypolls in the 20 Assembly seats is likely to be held in April and May if there are no directions from the court. BJP state leadership has failed to convince citizens that municipal corporations have no role in sealing any property in the city. Our leadership has completely failed to make Delhiites aware that the sealing was done on the directions of the Supreme Court appointed monitoring committee,” he added.

A senior Delhi BJP leader claimed that the current team of office bearers, including state president Manoj Tiwari, has failed to judge the seriousness of the ongoing sealing drive and its implication on the upcoming bypolls in the 20 Assembly constituencies.

“Failure of state leaderships to take firm stand shows the political immaturity of the current team of office bearers, who are primarily responsible to advise Mr Tiwari,” he said. The day the EC recommended disqualification of the 20 AAP MLAs, the core committee of the party sat only for 30 minutes to discuss the sealing and recommendation of the poll body.

“After a meeting with railway minister Piyush Goyal, in which all the seven Lok Sabha members from Delhi were present, the core committee members sat for 30 minutes and discussed both issues. It shows the seriousness of our leadership on crucial issues which directly relate to people,” said a member of Delhi BJP core committee, who was present in the meeting.