BJP Gears Up for Dalit Outreach Ahead of Delhi Assembly Polls

The BJP plans to intensify its outreach efforts in 30 assembly segments, including 12 reserved seats with significant SC voters, in Delhi. Senior BJP workers will engage in door-to-door campaigns in unauthorized colonies and slum clusters to boost voter support ahead of next year's polls.

The BJP is set to escalate its outreach efforts in 30 assembly segments, which include 12 reserved seats with a substantial number of SC voters, in the national capital ahead of next year's polls, according to party insiders.

Dedicated 'vistarak' (senior Delhi BJP workers) have been designated to ramp up door-to-door engagement with residents in these constituencies, primarily composed of unauthorized colonies and slum clusters, a senior party leader reported.

The party recently achieved a strong showing in the Lok Sabha polls across the 12 Scheduled Castes (SC) reserved assembly segments situated within the seven parliamentary seats, securing more votes than INDIA bloc candidates in 8 out of these 12 constituencies, a BJP leader stated.

''This has boosted the party's confidence that the Dalit-dominated seats can be secured in the upcoming Assembly polls,'' the leader added.

The BJP has persistently failed to capture the Dalit-majority seats since 2013, and faces significant challenges in forming a government in Delhi without improved performance in these areas.

Beyond the 12 reserved seats, there are approximately 18 other constituencies, including Beejwasan, Narela, Nangloi, and Shahdara, where Dalit voters are crucial in determining election outcomes, according to Mohan Lal Giraha, president of the Delhi BJP SC Morcha.

Giraha mentioned that appointed 'vistarak' will target around 4,000 booths out of the total 13,000 where Dalit votes are significant.

Each of these 30 assembly seats will have a dedicated 'vistarak' who will orchestrate the party's outreach by assigning 10 workers to each booth to ensure ongoing house-to-house voter engagement.

The Delhi Assembly polls are scheduled for February next year. In the 2020 elections, BJP won 8 out of the 70 total assembly seats, but none of the SC reserved seats. The AAP secured 62 seats, including all reserved seats.

Buoyed by the success in the Lok Sabha polls, where it won all seven seats, the BJP is hopeful of returning to power in Delhi after more than two and a half decades.

(With inputs from agencies.)