BJP will win all 7 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi: Harsh Vardhan

Union minister Harsh Vardhan said there was no fight for him in the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency in Delhi. “I am fully confident that I will win in Chandni Chowk. People in the constituency are with me, as I have worked for all communities as a lawmaker. Also, they want a BJP government at the Centre. Not just my constituency, BJP will win all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi,” said Vardhan to THE WEEK. 

The victory in Delhi for the BJP will be bigger than what it achieved in 2014, said Vardhan. “In every constituency the BJP will perform better than how it fared in 2014. In fact, after this Lok Sabha elections, coalition politics will no longer exist in the country. People are becoming more aware. They want a central government that has full mandate,” said Vardhan. 

Vardhan is in a three-cornered fight, along with Congress’s J.P. Agarwal and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s Pankaj Gupta.   

Rajesh Lilothia, working president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, said the BJP was daydreaming and it will not perform well in the Lok Sabha elections. “We are not going to say that we will win all seven seats. But, the Congress will show a good performance in Delhi. There is a strong wave in support of the Congress in all constituencies,” said Lilothia to THE WEEK. He dismissed the argument that the Congress would have fared better if it had allied with the AAP in Delhi. “Yes, there were talks for an alliance. We tried our best, but it did not work for reasons known to all. Now that part is over. We are confident of doing well on our own,” said Lilothia. 

On May 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed his first election rally in the national capital. “Delhi has the energy of Punjab and Haryana, the sweetness of Poorvanchal, the enthusiasm of the northeast and the gentleness of south India. I am fortunate to have been given the opportunity to serve,” he said. 

Sushil Kumar Gupta, AAP's Rajya Sabha MP, said his party would win all seven seats in Delhi. “People in Delhi are with the AAP. Come May 23, and you will see our candidates emerging victorious in all constituencies. We were never dependent on the Congress. So it is wrong to say that an alliance with the Congress would have helped us. Our statue and position in Delhi cannot be compared with that of the Congress,” said Gupta to THE WEEK. 

All seven seats in Delhi will vote on May 12. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Delhi, the BJP had won all seven seats and secured 46.40 per cent votes. The AAP got 32.90 per cent votes and the Congress 15.10 per cent votes. 

Veteran Congress leader C.P. Joshi, who is currently the speaker of the Rajasthan legislative assembly, said he would not comment on the situation of the Congress in Delhi. “But, in Rajasthan, it is not going to be easy for the Congress. The enthusiasm that was there among the Congress cadre in the state during the assembly polls is missing in the Lok Sabha elections,” said Joshi. He admitted there was in-fighting between the Congress group led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot. “Certain communities were not happy with the final outcome. It is a subjective thing. Such feelings can linger in people and can reflect during the voting day. Nothing can be done about it,” said Joshi. 

He said in the assembly elections in Rajasthan the difference between the voting percentage of the Congress and the BJP was very less. “The votes [around 20 per cent/26 seats] that went to others during the assembly elections will be decisive in the Lok Sabha elections. Whoever gets the larger share of the votes that went to others will win Rajasthan decisively,” he said.