BJP ready for 'semi-final', comes out with list for Cantonment polls

Aiming to win all eight wards in the Cantonment Board polls, the BJP announced the names of its candidates on Thursday for an electoral battle seen as a semi-final before the Assembly polls in February.

The formal release of the list of nominees sparked a minor protest by those who could not make it to the final line up. 

As a build up to the Board polls, the BJP voiced concern over women security and slammed the previous Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress governments in the city for not doing enough to protect women. 

New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi also shared details of the meeting of a BJP delegation with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.  

While announcing the candidates for the Board polls, the BJP dropped six candidates who fought the previous elections in 2008. While just one former member was repeated, another former member’s wife was fielded. 

Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay played down the dissent over the announcement of names of the Board polls and said this is usually expected as there are more than one aspirant for each seat.

Lal Chang Mehraulia is the only sitting Board member who has been renominated. Former member Pradip Kadiyan was replaced with his wife as his ward has now been reserved for women. Lekhi said the party would aim to win all the eight wards in the Board.

She said the party was serious over the issue of women security and blamed the bureaucracy for lethargic approach towards improving the women security scenario even two years after the Nirbhaya gang-rape case.

 Lekhi said the BJP is committed to the security of women but “we are of the view that this issue should not be politicised”

“Both Congress and AAP should tell the people that after the Nirbhaya incident what steps their governments had taken during their tenure?” she said.

Lekhi said that after coming to power at the Centre, the BJP established Nirbhaya fund and works have been started for the security and empowerment of the women.