BJP to boost SC voter outreach in 30 Delhi seats ahead of assembly polls

New Delhi: The BJP will soon start working to intensify outreach in 30 assembly segments, including 12 reserved seats, with a significant number of SC voters, in the national capital ahead of next year's polls, according to party leaders.

Dedicated 'vistarak' (senior Delhi BJP workers) have been appointed to intensify door-to-door contact with people living in these 30 constituencies, comprising mostly unauthorised colonies and slum clusters, said a senior party leader.

The party performed well in the recent Lok Sabha polls in the 12 Scheduled Castes (SC) reserved assembly segments spread across the seven parliamentary seats. It got more votes than I.N.D.I.A. bloc candidates in 8 out of 12 constituencies, he said.

"This has enhanced confidence within the party that these seats with dominance of Dalit voters can be won in the Assembly polls as well," the BJP leader added.

The BJP has failed consistently to win the Dalit-dominated seats since 2013 and the party faces a tough task in forming a government in Delhi unless it registers an improved performance in these constituencies.

Besides the 12 reserved seats, there are also around 18 constituencies such as Beejwasan, Narela, Nangloi, and Shahdara, among others where Dalit voters play a crucial role in deciding fate of candidates in the polls, said Mohan Lal Giraha, president of Delhi BJP SC Morcha.

Giraha said those appointed as 'vistarak' by the party will focus on around 4,000 booths, of the total over 13,000, where Dalit votes count.

Each of these 30 assembly seats will have one dedicated 'vistarak' who will work to strengthen the party's outreach by deputing 10 workers for each booth to ensure regular house-to-house contact with the voters, he said.

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

This time the BJP buoyed by the success of Lok Sabha polls in which it win all seven seats, is hoping to come back to power in Delhi after a gap of over two and half decades.