Looking to expand its influence in the Jat-dominated areas of the national Capital, the Delhi BJP appointed former Minister and former AAP leader Kailash Gahlot as a member of the Delhi Assembly Election Coordination Committee on Saturday.
The inclusion of the Jat leader in the panel was announced by Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva after the decision was approved by the top leadership, a party leader said.
In Delhi, the Jat community constitutes about 4-5 percent of the total population, mostly spread across the northern and western rural belts.
The importance of the community in the electoral arena can be gauged by the fact that nearly ten percent of the legislators in the 70-member Delhi Assembly have been from the community since 2008.
The assembly divisions with Jat population include Najafgarh, Nangloi Jat, Mehrauli, Mundka, Matiala, Rithala, Bijwasan and Badarpur.
The inclusion of a Jat leader in the key polling panel also reflects the BJP’s push to woo rural voters.
Elections to elect the new 70-member Delhi Assembly are likely to be held in January-February.
Gahlot is likely to add to the BJP’s vote share in these seats and dilute the appeal of AAP and Congress among the public.
Before the arrival of AAP in the Delhi polls, the Jat community was traditionally considered a staunch supporter of the Congress.
Earlier, the former AAP leader dismissed allegations by his former colleagues that he was bent on resigning because of the search by the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department, allegedly ordered by the BJP-controlled Central government.
Gahlot’s exit from AAP earlier this month upset the ruling AAP as he blamed corruption in the government for taking this extreme step.
A lawyer by profession, Gahlot holds important portfolios such as Home, Transport, IT, and Women and Child Development in the Delhi government.
Referring to controversies like ‘Sheesh mahal’ (the name used by the BJP for the residence of the renovated Minister), Gahlot wrote in his letter to AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal, “These controversies make people doubt that we still believe that we are Aam. Aadmi. There are many controversies that cause Shameful and strange like ‘Sheesh Mahal’, now making everybody do everybody. We doubt if we still believe in being Aam Aadmi.”
Gahlot was indirectly referring to the Rs 45 crore spent on the renovation of Kejriwal’s official residence on north Delhi’s Flagstaff Road.
Alleged malpractices in the repairs are also being investigated by the CBI.
Lauding Gahlot’s decision to resign from AAP in protest, Sachdeva said, “He has resigned on issues raised by the BJP. In a way, his resignation has confirmed the corruption charges we had filed against the AAP government.”
“This is a clear confirmation, from AAP, that Kejriwal has stolen public money in the name of revitalizing ‘Sheesh mahal’,” Sachdeva told IANS.
