Delhi cadre loses steam as BJP dumps Goel for Harshvardhan

The infighting in the Delhi BJP over the announcement of chief ministerial candidate has left the party workers in a state of uncertainty.

Thus far, they were rallying around Vijay Goel, who took over as state party president eight months ago, and was considered the frontrunner for the nomination. But with the party having settled instead on Dr Harshvardhan, rank-and-file workers will now have 40 days before the assembly poll to to project him as an effective counter to three time chief minister Sheila Dikshit and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal.

The unexpected development has affected the morale of the cadre at the ground.

“The party was buzzing with energy. Delhi’s voters were ready to give us a chance. But now with all this confusion, we have been given the message that it’s a divided house. How can we expect voters to have faith in us?” said a party worker who did not want to be named.

According to state party sources, the switch to Harshvardhan is likely to have a significant impact on the ground. On taking over as the party state president, Goel had personally supervised the selection of 272 block presidents and 14 district presidents in the city to spearhead the party in the run up to the assembly poll. They are considered ‘Goel’s men’ and are unlikely to back Dr Harshvardhan with the same fervor with which they would have worked for Goel.

“It was his idea to start a door- to- door campaign through which the party would take feedback of voters. Workers could not concentrate on that program due to this ongoing confusion. Before reaching out to voters, you should know what is happening in your party,” said a BJP block president in Delhi.

The party’s inability to project a significant leader to take on Sheila Dikshit has worked against it in the last two assembly polls. In the 2008 election, the CM nominee was Member of Parliament and senior leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra who was not particularly popular. At the time, however, Malhotra blamed factionalism within the party for his defeat. “We have reports of anti- party activities by some rebels and we will soon decide what action needs to be taken against them,” he said after the 2008 defeat.

The latest internal battle may turn out to be equally damaging, says a BJP district president: “In terms of immediate affect, AAP will gain as voters who were to come to us, will now go to them. In a post poll scenario, it will favour the Congress.”

As for Goel’s future, those who have worked with him scoff at the possibility of him exiting the BJP. “His political career will end if he leaves the party. Why will he do that?” asked a senior party member in the state unit.

However, Goel is also not a leader who can be quietly sidelined unlike Harshvardhan who did not make a fuss when he was pushed aside in favor of Malhotra in 2008 despite being the state party chief.

Goel, on the other hand, is expected to bargain for concessions from the party establishment. “He will now try to have a major say in the ticket distribution process. He will want that his loyalists get tickets from BJP bastions in Delhi so that they can win. This way, irrespective of which party wins the election and who becomes the chief minister, Goel will continue to have his men in the Delhi assembly,” said the party member.