Having decided its state chief, BJP leaders are now lobbying for Parliament seat
Having decided its state chief, BJP leaders are now lobbying for Parliament seat
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Victory: OP Kohli, the new Delhi BJP president
Pic/Subhash Barolia |
The fight is not over yet. The first round went to Om Prakash Kohli, who defeated a number of Delhi BJP heavyweights in the race to become the state chief.
Those who bit the dust include former Union minister Vijay Goel, former Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Jagdish Mukhi and Standing Committee Chairman in MCD Vijender Gupta.
But the battle is still on. Those who have been left behind are now lobbying hard to get a party ticket for next parliamentary elections.
Party sources said Jadgish Mukhi was the front-runner for the state BJP president's chair. But having lost to Kohli, he has now expressed his readiness to contest from West Delhi parliamentary seat.
According to a leader close to Mukhi, the West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency is dominated by Punjabis and thus Mukhi stands a strong chance of winning. However, the party high command may offer the seat to Pravesh Verma, son of former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma. "As some rural parts of West Delhi are dominated by Jats, Pravesh's claim seems strong," said a senior BJP leader.
Though a segment of leaders are opposing the claim of Vijay Goel, saying he was not "cooperative" in the Assembly elections, his claim from the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency is still very strong.
From the Northeast constituency, Poonam Azad, who was denied a party ticket from Patparganj, is lobbying to get a ticket on the basis of her backing of poorvanchali population.
Surprisingly, some leaders who contested the Assembly elections are also in the fray to seek a Lok Sabha ticket. Harsharan Singh Balli and Anita Arya are in the fray in a hope to get a Lok Sabha win.
