To repeat or not to repeat: After AAP-Cong alliance BJP brainstorms its sitting MPs’ future, own seat formula for Delhi

“The AAP-Congress alliance will certainly impact the party’s approach to candidate selection in Delhi since the contest is now bipolar and not tri-corner as it was in 2019,” the source added.

The BJP has held all the seven Lok Sabha seats in the city for the last 10 years. (Express File Photo)

With the AAP-Congress seat-sharing formula for the Lok Sabha polls formally out, the BJP is understood to have begun working out its own equation for the capital’s seven Parliamentary seats. While candidate selection is now the next step for all the three principal political protagonists in Delhi, for the BJP, which has held all the seven Lok Sabha seats in the city for the last 10 years, the issue is different — whom to repeat and whom to skip, party sources said.

According to party sources, the BJP too has its own permutations and combinations when it comes to seats, much like the AAP-Congress’s four-three pact. “There are several possibilities which range from seven-zero, that is replacing all sitting MPs and fielding fresh faces to five-two as well as four-three — replacing five and repeating two or replacing four and repeating three,” a party source said.

“The AAP-Congress alliance will certainly impact the party’s approach to candidate selection in Delhi since the contest is now bipolar and not tri-corner as it was in 2019,” the source added.

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The BJP Central Election Committee, which will take the final call on candidates to be fielded, was originally scheduled on Friday but was postponed to February 29, as per party insiders.

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Sources said the CEC was understood to have decided on the candidature of upwards of 160-odd individuals the BJP would field in the elections, which included “at least two seats” from Delhi.

“That the party is yet to announce an in-charge for Delhi as it has for other state units is proof enough that it is not only holding the cards very close to the chest when it comes to the city, but also that the matter is firmly in the hands of the national leadership,” a party leader said.

“While the final decision will take time, the party is likely to repeat sitting MPs on the Northeast and West Delhi seats if it goes for the five-two scenario; if it decides on four-three, South Delhi is likely to be added to this list,” he added.

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Meanwhile, the AAP-Congress combine and BJP pulled out all the stops against each other following the announcement of the alliance. Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely said, “The INDIA alliance will sweep all 7 seats as BJP MPs have neglected the city for the past 10 years… the fact that BJP is all set to replace sitting Delhi MPs is proof enough that they have done nothing for the Capital.”

AAP National General Secretary (Organisation) Sandeep Pathak said, “AAP will contest from here and Congress from there: We won’t fight like this. This election will be fought by the INDIA bloc. BJP’s calculations and strategy will go wrong due to the alliance.”

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said, “BJP is confident it will win each of the 7 Lok Sabha seats based on our work, support of our workers, and people.”

Jatin Anand

Jatin Anand is an Assistant Editor with the national political bureau of The Indian Express. Over the last 16 years, he has covered governance, politics, bureaucracy, crime, traffic, intelligence, the Election Commission of India and Urban Development among other beats. He is an English (Literature) graduate from Zakir Husain Delhi College, DU & specialised in Print at the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai. He tweets @jatinpaul ... Read More

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