BJP appoints Javadekar as party’s city polls in-charge

New Delhi: Union minister Prakash Javadekar, who has been appointed by the BJP as the party’s poll in-charge of Delhi unit, faces the daunting task of bringing together the local leadership to take on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the coming Assembly elections in the national capital.

Mr Javadekar’s primary task will be to ensure that the local leadership remains united and is in regular touch with the party workers so that the party gets strengthened at the booth level.

The BJP has also appointed two co-incharges, Nityanand Rai and Hardeep Singh Puri, to assist Mr Javadekar in Delhi, where the party could win only 3 out of the 70 Assembly seats in the last Assembly elections.

Mr Javadekar, who was earlier the in-charge of Assembly polls and Lok Sabha elections for Rajasthan, said he will discharge his responsibility with dedication and will prepare plans for the Delhi polls after consulting party president and other leaders concerned.

Reliable sources in the party told this newspaper that BJP national working president JP Nadda called a meeting in the afternoon in which Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari and Mr Javadekar were present along with others.

“Mr Nadda asked Mr Tiwari to start preparing for the Delhi Assembly polls in full throttle under the guidance of the new poll in-charges,” said a party insider.

Mr Nadda discussed Delhi BJP’s possible strategy to dislodge Arvind Kejriwal’s government and return to power after over 21 years.  It is reliably learnt that freebies announced by chief minister and AAP supreme Arvind Kejriwal also came under discussion.

After facing humiliating defeat in the just concluded Lok Sabha polls in the national capital, the Kejriwal government had announced free Metro and DTC travel for women. The Delhi government also announced 200-units free electricity for Delhiites and also reduced fixed power charges.

Sources said that Mr Nadda directed the party’s Delhi unit to prepare a roadmap for the polls. In the meeting, it was decided that the city unit will prepare a list of services that BJP can provide to the citizens free of cost after coming to power