Rajinder Nagar bypoll: BJP hoping for better weather on polling day for good turnout

New Delhi, June 13 Ahead of assembly bypoll for Rajinder Nagar - one of its strongholds in Delhi, the state BJP is looking at IMD forecast for next week as it suspects oppressive heat may lead to less than 50 per cent voter turnout which in turn may adversely affect their electoral prospects.

Delhi BJP strategists are working overtime for victory of party candidate Rajesh Bhatia but feel that lower voter turnout will go against him.

"Ensuring a higher turnout in this hot weather condition will be a challenge for all the political parties including us. Lesser or less than 50 per cent voter turnout will affect our chances of winning the bypoll," a senior BJP leader said.

Polling will be held on June 23 and counting of votes will take place on June 26. The by-poll was necessitated after AAP's Raghav Chadha resigned from the Delhi assembly after he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab.

Another BJP leader said that while finalizing strategy to ensure high turnout above 50-55 per cent, the party is also hoping that temperature will come down with pre-monsoon showers. "We hope that a pre-monsoon shower will bring down the temperature on voting day. We are also appealing to voters to come out and vote. Our workers are reaching out to each and every voter of the constituency while explaining BJP agenda and vision for Rajinder Nagar," he said.

Rajinder Nagar has been represented by AAP since 2015. Prior to it, the BJP had continuously won the constituency from 1993 to 2008. In 2008, Congress won the seat, but in 2013 the BJP won it back. The AAP, however, made inroads and won for the last two consecutive assembly polls in 2015 and 2020.

In the 2020 assembly election, Chadha won from Rajinder Nagar by getting 57 per cent of total votes polled. BJP's Sardar RP Singh got 37.7 per cent vote share and Congress's Rocky Tuseed got 3.8 per cent vote share.

Rajinder Nagar is a largely urban constituency with some slum clusters and few villages. On the one hand, there are Old and New Rajinder Nagar, Naraina, Inderpuri, and some parts of Karol Bagh, while on the other hand, there are slum clusters such as Gas Godami, Rajiv Gandhi Camp and Indira Camp. There are some villages like Dasghara, Todapur and Nairana villages.

With around 40 per cent of total electorate, Punjabis are in a dominating position in this constituency followed by migrant population, mostly from Rajasthan followed by Purvanchalis and others. Remaining are traditional villagers and Muslims.

The significance of winning back this core constituency for the BJP can be gauged from the fact that it has deployed as many as 40 star campaigners, including eight union ministers and several MPs for canvassing.