BJP targets AAP’s voter base in slums

NEW DELHI: The BJP has decided to focus on people living in slums in the last two days of campaigning ahead of the February 8 Delhi assembly election, seeking to woo voters in a segment considered a stronghold of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Party president JP Nadda asked BJP MPs in the parliamentary party meeting in Parliament on Tuesday to devote time after the session every day to different areas of Delhi. He said 240 party MPs would visit slums across the city from 6 pm to 6 am.

He asked MPs to make ratri pravas (night halts) in such areas to influence voters. The MPs will highlight the “gulf in AAP government’s promises and delivery”. They will also highlight that the Arvind Kejriwal government has denied people central government schemes like Ayushman Bharat and that if the BJP comes to power in Delhi, it would construct pucca houses for the slum-dwellers.


The AAP government is confident of securing the support of slum-dwellers because, it says, these residents are the biggest beneficiaries of the improvement in government schools, opening of mohalla (neighbourhood) clinics and free water and electricity up to a certain threshold.

On Sunday, the BJP had launched its Mahasampark Abhiyan or mega programme to connect with the Delhi electorate. As part of the ongoing programme, every house in Delhi would be visited by a Union minister. “The idea is to visit every single house and meet the people,” a Union minister involved in the programme said on condition of anonymity.

The programme was started by home minister Amit Shah and Nadda, with both visiting houses in different areas of Delhi. The night halts would be in addition to this.