BJP shortlists 28 municipal councillors for Assembly polls

New Delhi: The BJP leadership has shortlisted the names of 28 sitting municipal councillors for consideration of party ticket to contest the upcoming Assembly elections in the national capital.

The names of the municipal councillors were shortlisted on the basis of the points they scored on several parameters set by the party leadership.

A party leader aware of the development told this newspaper that councillors would also be considered for the party tickets, which they were outrightly denied in the 2008 Assembly polls.

“Right now, based on different parameters, the leadership has identified 28 sitting councillors from the BJP-ruled three municipal corporations. Along with other names, these shortlisted names of councillors will also be discussed while finalising the candidates,” he added.

The Delhi Assembly poll is scheduled early next year. The names of these 28 sitting councillors are shortlisted on the basis of their works on ground, transparency in their work, accessibilities, and popularity amidst voters among others.

“While assessing the performance of the councillors based on different parameters, the leadership has shortlisted 28 names that scored maximum points and these will be forwarded to the party’s central election committee for consideration of the state elections,” said another party leader.

Interestingly, these 28 councillors represent 13 of the 70 Assembly seats in the city.

The leader said, “In some Assembly seats, there is one councillor and in others there are names of two or three councillors who were shortlisted based on different parameters.”

In the 2008 Assembly election, BJP had made a policy not to field any of its sitting councillors.

In the 2013 Delhi Assembly polls, the party gave tickets to a handful of councillors and about half-a-dozen had won.