NEW DELHI, Jan 17: The BJP has planned extensive campaigning by newly-inducted party member and social activist Kiran Bedi for the February 7 Assembly elections in Delhi with the party using her “crusader and brave woman” image as the “main weapon” against Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal. A senior BJP functionary, on condition of anonymity, said today, the party has planned Ms Bedi’s rallies, meetings and other election related programmes across the city. However, the senior BJP leader, who is closely associated with chalking out strategy for the Delhi Assembly polls, said it is unlikely that the former IPS officer will be the chief minister if the party is voted to power.
The senior BJP functionary said Ms Bedi is likely to be the Chief Minister in only such a situation where the party gets 55-60 seats in the 70-member Assembly. “If the party gets 55-60 seats then credit for the party’s performance will go to Kiran Bedi. In such a scenario, keeping the people’s mandate in mind she might get the top post,” the BJP leader said.
The sources in the party also said Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani’s name is also doing the rounds. In case the BJP gets a simple majority, she might be the CM.
The senior BJP functionary also said Ms Bedi will be the “main weapon” of the party to counter the former chief minister. The saffron party feels that if Mr Kejriwal and his party goes into an all out attack mode against Ms Bedi, who was an important member of team Anna Hazare along with Mr Kejriwal during Jan Lokpal movement, it might go against the AAP. “Kiran Bedi is known as a brave and straightforward woman leader, her image is of one who has zero tolerance against corruption. Women voters will feel easily connected with her,” the senior party functionary observed. Ms Bedi had joined the BJP on January 15 in presence of party national president Amit Shah and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
Mr Shah had announced immediately that the country’s first woman IPS officer will contest the Delhi Assembly polls and her seat will be decided by the party’s city unit. (UNI)
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