New Delhi, Nov 23 (IANS): The BJP central leadership has given 'mantras' to the party unit in the national capital to win next year's municipal polls for fourth consecutive terms.
Addressing a state executive of the Delhi BJP on Monday, senior party leaders asked the state unit to start the campaign with a positive note, end differences and hit the ground. The tickets will be decided on survey reports, and also asked its leaders to reach out to the old cadre.
It is learnt that while addressing the Delhi state executive meet party, BJP national General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh asked the leaders to start the campaign with a positive note as negative campaigns give advantage to the opposition parties.
"Santhosh said that our workers should only talk about positive things about the corporations and our government at the Centre. He categorically said there should be no negative talks. He explained that negative talks give advantage to rivals," a Delhi BJP leader said.
The BJP national vice president and Delhi in-charge Baijayant Jay Panda has said that in ensuing corporations' polls it is the people who will decide as to who will get a ticket. "Those who desire tickets should stop doing 'Ganesh parikrama' (doing rounds of senior leaders) and rather go and work amidst the people. The one who people would want, with a clean image and winability factor will get the ticket," Panda said.
A party office-bearer present in the meeting said that Panda's message was loud and clear that tickets will be decided on the findings of the survey reports.
"Panda also suggested that we have to take all sections of the society together and if we succeed in this then no power can defeat us not only in ensuing corporations' elections or in next Assembly polls," he said.
Sources said that Panda also spoke about the need to overcome differences. "Panda said that a chariot will move ahead if all the seven horses start moving in different directions. The chariot can move only if all the horses move together ahead in one direction. Similarly, we have to work together," sources said.
Workers are also asked to reach out to former office-bearers of the party from the block to state level.
The BJP, which has been ruling three Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCD) for 15 years, is facing a tough challenge from Arvind Kejriwal's Aam aadmi Party (AAP).
In 2017, the BJP won 181 out of total 272 municipal seats in three corporations. The AAP has won 49 seats and Congress came third by winning only 31 seats in 2017 municipal polls.