The Hindu : New Delhi News : Gujarat, HP new battlefields for Delhi politicians

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 10, 2007
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Gujarat, HP new battlefields for Delhi politicians

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

Senior Congress, BJP leaders are heading to these States

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president has already been to Gujarat three times
Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan is in Himachal Pradesh

NEW DELHI: For a large number of senior Delhi politicians, the Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh have also provided an opportunity to test all their political skills before Delhi itself goes to polls in 2008.

In order to working towards improving their respective party’s prospects in the polls, senior leaders from both Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party are heading to these States as they go to polls in December. The eagerness of both the Congress and BJP to do well in these polls is also reflecting in the manner in which they are trying to marshal all resources at hand to put up a better show.

From the Congress, the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president and Rajya Sabha MP J.P. Agarwal has already been to Gujarat three times. Due to go there again in a couple of days, Mr Agarwal said he has been addressing about four or five public meetings daily. “We are going there to address the rallies. But we are not interfering with the work of the Gujarat State unit which is organising our visits as per its plans,” he said, adding that the party cadre is upbeat about a much better showing in the State this time. ``We are particularly on a very firm footing in Saurashtra and are confident of winning over 35 of the 58 seats in the region.”

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is also expected to travel to Gujarat on December 10. She would be joining the campaign in its final leg. Several Congress MLAs from Delhi are also campaigning in the two States. Nasirpur MLA and one of the most prominent Poorvanchal leaders of Delhi, Mahabal Mishra, has been campaigning for the party in Himachal Pradesh for the past several days. He is trying to swing the votes of the migrant population from Poorvanchal working in Himachal Pradesh towards the Congress and is expected to stay in the State till the campaigning gets over.

From the BJP too, no effort is being spared to bolster the party’s prospects as it senses victory in both the States. While Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan is in Himachal Pradesh where the party is trying hard to oust the Congress regime of Virbhadra Singh, a group of party leaders led by party general secretary Pawan Sharma is already in Gujarat to help the Narendra Modi Government to a third term. And the party is not resting yet. It is flowing in more leaders from Delhi into Gujarat. One of them, former Union Minister and national secretary Vijay Goel will be leaving for the State on Sunday. And like most others, he too would only return after the votes have been cast.

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