BJP fields fresh faces for upcoming Delhi municipal polls

It seems that the generational shift in the Bharatiya Janata Party that started with LK Advani and Rajnath Singh making way for Sushma Swaraj and Nitin Gadkari respectively, is still on

It seems that the generational shift in the Bharatiya Janata Party that started with LK Advani and Rajnath Singh making way for Sushma Swaraj and Nitin Gadkari respectively, is still on.

After infusing fresh blood at the national level, the new BJP president is ready to give a new face to the party in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, quite literally. To the surprise of a many a political pundit, the saffron party gave a slip to the heavyweights like Vijender Gupta, Subhash Arya in the favour of PR Sahni and Rajesh Gehlot for the posts of Delhi Mayor and Deputy Mayor, respectively.


New order: BJP members filing their nominations for the post of Mayor
and Dy. Mayor at Town Hall in New Delhi on Monday.u00a0PIC/MID DAY

Arya has been the leader of the house while Vijender Gupta had been the chairman of the 'all-important' Standing Committee before giving up the post to contest parliamentary election in 2009.

Just about a week ago, it was a foregone conclusion that either Subhash Arya or Vijender Gupta would be the party candidate for the post of Mayor. However, the central leadership made it clear that the party has to bring in fresh faces.u00a0

Apart from Sahni and Gehlot, the party also announced the names of Yogendra Chandolia and Sarita Chaudhary for Standing Committee members.
BJP sources said the wave of change would not stop with this. Ram Kishen Singhal, Standing Committee chairman and Arya are also on their way out.

Insiders confirmed that BJP's party incharge for Delhi affairs Thawar Chand Gehlot had an interactive session

State conundrumu00a0

Vijender Gupta, sidelined from a post in the Standing Committee of the MCD, has joined the race for the next Delhi BJP chief. The party is soon going to decide on a new party chief for the national capital. Sources in the state unit say that a formal announcement will be made by next week. Apart from Vijender Gupta, former parliamentarian Vijay Goel and Nand Kishore Garg are the front-runners to the post.

with 200 party corporators over a couple of weeks. Based upon the feedback, party candidates for the mayoral and standing committee elections scheduled to be held on Friday were decided.

"Most of the councillors were against repeating those who have already served the posts in the past. They were dissatisfied with the current leadership," said a senior party functionary.

The BJP incharge, however, sought to allay apprehensions that party heavyweights in the city are being sidelined. "The decision has been taken to ensure that each and every party leader gets a chance to serve. There is no dearth of able leaders in the party," Gehlot said.

Firebrand BJP councillor and former standing committee chairman Vijender Gupta, who has not been given any role in the present leadership, said, "I welcome the party's decision. Whatever the party asks me to do I will do just that."

Party position in MCD House

Sr.No	Party	Councillors	MLAs	MPs	Total
1.	BJP	172	5	0	177
2.	Congress	73	8	8	89
3.	BSP	16	-	-	16
4.	Independents	10	1	-	11
	Total	271	14	8	293

Poll gyan

On Monday, Prithvi Raj Sahni of BJP, Tulsi Ram Sablania of Congress and Hari Chand Kardam of BSP filed their nomination papers for the coveted post of Mayor.u00a0 Rajesh Gehlot of BJP, Saranjit Sharma of Congress and Sanjay Gupta of BSP filed their nomination papers for the post of Deputy Mayor. For the Standing Committee, Yogendra Chandolia and Sarita Choudhary of BJP and Jai Kishan Sharma of Congress filed their nominations for the posts of members to be nominated by the Corporation. There are three vacant posts in the Standing Committee. The election to the posts of Mayor, Deputy Mayor and three vacancies of members of Standing Committee to be nominated by the Corporation will be held on Friday, 30 April.