Parties leave no stone unturned to turn the verdict in their favour

With less than a week remaining for the Delhi Assembly elections, the BJP has intensified its election campaign with a campaign blitzkrieg and a massive rally push, organising 31 events across the national capital on Thursday.

The party’s campaign includes appearances by top leaders, union ministers, chief ministers, Bollywood stars and other influential personalities, all aiming to create a strong final impact ahead of the February 5 vote.

Leading the charge for the BJP were Union Ministers Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh and Hardeep Puri, alongside BJP national president JP Nadda. The party also roped in popular Chief Ministers Devender Fadnavis of Maharashtra and Hemant Biswa Sharma of Assam as well as actor-turned-politicians Arun Govil, Ravi Kishan and Manoj Tiwari.

The BJP is leaving no stone unturned in its effort to secure a strong foothold in Delhi, hoping to regain power after a 27-year absence.

In contrast, the AAP launched a parallel campaign, organising 16 rallies across the city. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav took the lead in these events, rallying behind AAP candidates alongside Delhi leaders such as Sanjay Singh and Manish Sisodia. While AAP’s campaign was substantial, it paled in comparison to the BJP’s extensive outreach.

The Congress, on the other hand, struggled to match the energy of its rivals, with Rahul Gandhi being the primary face of the party’s campaign and holding the fort. Congress rallies were supplemented by appearances from former cricketer Virender Sehwag and leaders like Sachin Pilot, Deepender Singh Hooda and former Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi.

The BJP’s ambitious campaign blitz is seen as an attempt to sway the critical floating voter segment, which could be the deciding factor in close constituencies. The party is eyeing 17 swing seats where the previous margin of victory was less than 10,000 votes. Notably, in constituencies like Krishna Nagar and Bijwasan, where the margins were razor-thin (680 and 753 votes, respectively), the BJP hopes to capitalise on voter dissatisfaction with the AAP and the Congress.

For the BJP, it is a ‘now or never’ moment. The party has also changed its candidates in these areas in response to last election’s narrow margins. AAP, too, has dropped nine of its MLAs who had previously won by slim margins, further intensifying the competition.

As the BJP, AAP and the Congress flood Delhi’s streets with campaign posters, flags and star power, city residents have shared mixed reactions to the intense political activity.

In Azadpuri Sabzi Mandi, where BJP’s Manoj Tiwari campaigned, local shopkeeper Gajinder Singh said: “This is an attempt to lock in on the floating votes, which make up about 5-7 per cent. These star campaigners do influence undecided voters who may not have a fixed choice yet.”

In Sunlight Colony, Jangpura, where Union Minister Anurag Thakur camped, Sahil Garg, a local resident, commented: “This is all just a façade. Voters are smarter than that — they’ve already made up their minds. These rallies are just for show.”

Meanwhile, AAP’s Bhagwant Mann, who held a roadshow in Amar Colony, also saw a mixed response from locals.

Sonu, a resident, said, “When the Punjab CM comes to a Punjabi locality, it does influence the people here. Similarly, leaders going to areas with a Purvanchali demographic are likely to benefit from that outreach.”

Amidst the rallies, the political leaders didn’t shy away from targeting their opponents while urging people to vote for their respective parties.

BJP’s Amit Shah, in his rally speech, said, “February 5 is an opportunity for the people of Delhi to oust ‘AAP-da’ and give a clear mandate to the BJP.”

Meanwhile Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacked the INDIA bloc ally AAP’s chief Kejriwal on corruption and the Yamuna in his rally.