Ramesh Bidhuri

Intelligence Report Gives BJP Four Out of Seven in Delhi

After various opinion polls have predicted a BJP surge all over the country including in Delhi, the intelligence agencies seem to have followed suit.

In the customary pre-election survey exercise done by the agencies in Delhi, a saffron sweep with four of the capital’s seven seats going to the BJP is predicted. The survey has given Chandni Chowk (Harsh Vardhan), East Delhi (Maheish Girri), South Delhi ( Ramesh Bidhuri ) and West Delhi (Parvesh Verma) to the BJP, while the Congress, which at present holds all seven seats, could win one—New Delhi—where former Union Minister Ajay Maken is recontesting from.

The AAP, which had a remarkable debut in the Assembly polls last December, will fare badly and win only one seat—North West Delhi, where former minister Rakhi Birla is its candidate. The seventh seat, North East Delhi, will face a tough three-way fight. BJP has fielded Bhojpuri actor Manoj Tewari, the Congress has re-nominated J P Aggarwal and AAP has fielded JNU professor Anand Kumar from here.

The survey has listed price rise, lack of infrastructure and alleged arrogance of UPA leadership as put off factors for Delhi voters, who will express their lack of trust in the party. The agencies carried out the survey with a sample size of 3,500 voters in each of the constituencies. An exclusive look at the findings:

North West Delhi

SURvey Says: AAP’s Rakhi Birla appears on a winning leg as BJP supporters are working against candidate Udit Raj. There is strong discontent among party workers over Raj’s candidature, making it easier for the AAP candidate who is a local. Congress’ Krishna Tirath faces an anti-incumbency factor. She is expected to lose badly.

Chandni Chowk

SURvey Says: Harsh Vardhan miles ahead in popularity race. Sibal faces an anti-incumbency wave. Though lone Janata Dal (U) MLA Shoaib Iqbal and Jama Masjid Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari have declared support for him, it will not be a deciding factor. Syed Yahya Bukhari, the younger brother of the Shahi Imam, has appealed to Muslims to vote for AAP. Journalist-turned-politician Ashutosh has been on several road shows, but failed to garner support.

South Delhi

SURvey Says: Strong presence of Jat and Gujjar communities and both have declared support for BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri. His winning over the confidence of Gujjar leader Ramveer Singh Bidhuri, who joined BJP last year, is working for him. Congress leader Sajjan Kumar’s brother Ramesh Kumar is considered a weak candidate. AAP’s Devender Sehrawat has limited popularity and only Delhi Cantonment voters are excited about him.

New Delhi

SURvey Says: Congress’ Ajay Maken is ahead of all, though BJP’s Meenakshi Lekhi is working hard to connect with voters. Maken finds favour because of his clean image and proximity with Gandhi family. Seeing Lekhi’s efforts, BJP high command has organised Narendra Modi’s rally at Ram Lila Ground on three days ahead of polling to galvanize voters. Journalist-turned-politician and AAP candidate Ashish Khetan is an unknown face for the people.

East Delhi

SURvey Says: Maheish Girri has an edge over Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Rajmohan Gandhi. Girri has been working in the area for the last two years and has been able to connect with the people. Gandhi's age has prevented him from campaigning aggressively. Sandeep Dikshit lags far behind both candidates as his own party members seem to be working against him after his mother and former chief minister Sheila Dikshit left the city.

West Delhi

SURvey Says: BJP candidate Parvesh Verma, former Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma’s son, has the support of local villagers, mostly Jat. In Sikh dominated areas, Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal will campaign for him, thus eating away votes from AAP candidate Jarnail Singh. Congress MP and three-time MLA Mahabal Mishra is in for a tough time as people are unhappy with him. Purvanchal voters divided.

NORTH EAST DELHI

SURvey Says: Bhojpuri actor and singer Manoj Tiwari of BJP has been successful in making people believe that he is not an outsider but a local resident. But Congress’ J P Agarwal is also an obvious choice for the people as he has worked in his constituency. It’s a tough fight and the winning margin would be low. For AAP candidate Anand Kumar, JNU students are working for him but have not been able to make a mark in the constituency.

Source Article : https://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/Intelligence-Report-Gives-BJP-Four-Out-of-Seven-in-Delhi/2014/04/06/article2151945.ece

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