Delhi BJP formally launches preparations for Delhi polls

Delhi BJP on Wednesday formally started its preparations for the assembly polls due early next year by doing the 'bhumi pujan' for its temporary election office at the party's Pant Marg headquarters. The ceremony was attended by Union ministers Harsh Vardhan, Hardeep Singh Puri, Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari, party MPs and other senior leaders.

Puri, who is the election co-incharge of BJP for assembly polls, accused the ruling AAP in Delhi of depriving people of benefits of central government schemes. But due to the "strong will" of the Modi government, he said, over 40 lakh people living in unauthorised colonies in the city will get ownership rights of their houses.

Tiwari said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has given "great pains" to people of Delhi. "People are badly suffering due to air pollution but Kejriwal is accusing others for it. He did not hold any meeting with the chief ministers of neighbouring states nor did he call meetings with the Opposition or the experts in the field to find ways to control pollution," Tiwari alleged.

The Aam Aadmi Party, which routed the BJP in 2015 assembly polls in Delhi by winning 67 of the 70 assembly constituencies, has expressed confidence that it will return to power because of Kejriwal government's schemes providing subsidised water and electricity supplies as well as free ride to women in public buses. The BJP, which scraped through winning just three seats in 2015 polls, has a daunting task to return to power in Delhi after two decades, by unseating AAP.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)