NEW DELHI: With the announcement of organisational elections in the Delhi BJP, the party is poised for another round of bitter struggle among its various leaders to capture the State leadership. The ball has been set rolling with the enrolment drive for new membership that is on till June 30 and the new president would be elected before October 31.

However, the announcement of organisational polls has suddenly made the leaders within the party active once again as efforts are being made to not only woo the cadre but also develop a rapport with the changed equations in the Central party leadership.

According to sources in the party, the deadline for enrolment of active members has been fixed for June 1 to July 15. The party has also been asked to hold elections to the 8,500-odd local samitis at polling station level till the end of August. The elections for the blocks and districts have to be wrapped up by September and the election to the post of the State president will be completed before October 31.

With the party afflicted with severe infighting and the new president likely to lead the party into the MCD polls early next year and also the Delhi Assembly polls, a race of sorts has begun to secure the coveted post. It is learnt that the present incumbent, Harsh Vardhan, is unlikely to get another term in view of stiff opposition and the party policy not to given extended terms to State presidents. Former Union Minister Vijay Goel, a leader of the Vaish community, is one of the major contenders for the post.

It is understood that Mr. Goel enjoys a good rapport with the party president Rajnath Singh. At present the national secretary in charge of frontal organisations, Mr. Goel could face opposition from local leaders as Dr. Harsh Vardhan also belongs to the Vaish community and another Vaish leader would not be a feasible idea. Mr. Goel also has to enlist the support of the Sangh Parivar as well as the party cadre as during his stint as a Union Minister there were allegations that he was hardly accessible to common workers - a factor that supposedly led to his defeat in the Lok Sabha polls.

Party leaders are of the view that in view of the changed caste equations and the raging Other Backward Classes quota controversy, the party will have to project some name from either the Scheduled Caste (SC) community or an OBC candidate.

The SCs have a large presence in the electorate of Delhi and dominate in a number of Assembly constituencies. One serious contender from this community is former Minister and Deputy Chief Whip in the Assembly, S.P. Ratawal. Having a large following among the SC community, Mr. Ratawal also enjoys a good rapport with senior party leaders. Former Union Minister Sahib Singh Verma is also a strong contender for the post and will leave no stone unturned to ensure that he holds his own.

Strong contender

"All these candidates feel that whoever becomes the party president could possibly be a strong contender for the post of Delhi Chief Minister in future. This is the reason why the battle for the top party post in Delhi could get bitter and intensify as the party elections draw close,'' a senior leader remarked.

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