Behind target, city BJP scrambles to hold meetings

Falling short so far, the BJP has entered the fast lane to meet its target of 2,700 corner meetings to be addressed by the party’s 300 parliamentarians.

“In the first week, the party held over 100 corner meetings. But the number of such meetings will increase drastically,” Delhi BJP general secretary Aasish Sood said.
He added the party is organising 96 corner meetings to be addressed by its MPs on Monday alone.

Sadhvi not listed

The list has given the name of controversial Union minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti a miss. Sources, however, said that her schedule is likely to be finalised next week.

The public meetings on Monday has been scheduled at places like Nehru Nagar, Kirti Nagar, Bijwasan, Saket, Pratap Nagar, Mandawali, Chittaranjan Park, Sonia Vihar and Mukherjee Nagar.

Next week, from Monday to Thursday, the BJP has planned more than 400 corner meetings. “From the next week, with minimum 100 public meetings in a day we will be able to hold over 2,000 meetings by December 20,” Delhi BJP in-charge and Rajya Sabha member Prabhat Jha said, claiming that the party has picked up pace.

Earlier, the party had cited logistical and other reason for low of number of corner meetings in the first week of the campaign. But sources also suggest that there is a possibility of the BJP scaling down its target. 

“The deadline could be extended. But we have to wrap up before the Parliament session concludes on December 23,” a BJP insider said, while adding that the MPs tend to go back to their respective constituencies on weekends.

Parliament doesn’t sit on Saturday and Sunday.

Gearing up for the Delhi Assembly polls, the party had roped in its MPs to address corner meeting across the city from December 1 to 20.