This could provide fodder to the opposition to convince the electorate that the saffron party has conceded to the fact that its councillors had not performed during the past 10 years. The Congress will hold a massive civic reception this week for Punjab chief minister Amrinder Singh near the Rajouri Garden Assembly seat, which is going to bypolls on April 9. He has also assigned some crucial campaigning works to his close aide Harish Barar. A source said Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken, who himself represented this seat on three consecutive occasions, has appointed former Badli MLA Devender Yadav as the in-charge of the constituency.While the Congress has decided to field all its sitting councillors, leader of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, Farhad Suri, is said to have taken a call not to contest the civic polls. The saffron party, along with the Akali Dal, had won the seat in 2013 Assembly elections.The Assembly constituency is crucial as it has Sikhs, Punjabis and OBCs (each 15 per cent), 10 per cent Muslims and remaining from different castes of the Hindu community. Mr Arya was also the chairman of the standing committee of the joint erstwhile MCD.Party insiders are of the strong view that the outcome of the Rajouri Garden bypolls will make it crystal clear which way the electorate is going to vote in the civic elections.
The constituency is also a mix of unauthorised colonies in Vishnu Garden, China plastic raised garden bed a resettlement colony in Raghubir Nagar, an urban village in Khayala, the middleclass Tagore Garden and the upscale Rajouri Garden.While the Congress is going to announce its first list of candidates for municipal polls latest by Friday, the AAP has already declared its list of 162 candidates. But the Akali Dal (Badal) also wants to field its own candidate.Reports suggest that the Akali Dal may field Delhi unit president Manjinder Singh Sirsa. But a section within the BJP leadership is of the view that the party should field former North Municipal Corporation mayor Subhash Arya. Some leaders are, however, worried over the party’s decision not to field any of its sitting councillors in these elections. The Rajouri Garden bypoll is also going to be a litmus test for the Congress and the AAP as its outcome is bound to impact the April 22 civic elections. Reports suggest if the BJP and SAD (Badal) are unable to have a consensus candidate, the two might field their own candidates in the by-elections. What’s worrying the BJP is the fact that it is yet to finalise its candidate for the Rajouri Garden Assembly seat. The reason why Mr Suri is not contesting is that his Nizamuddin ward has become part of the Daryaganj municipal ward, which is reserved for only women candidates.New Delhi: Buoyed by the party’s success in Punjab Assembly elections, the Congress is going to use it to its advantage in the upcoming municipal elections in Delhi. But the SAD-BJP combine could not retain it in the last elections which was swept by the AAP.
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