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Kiran Bedi is BJP face in Delhi
The BJP\'s projection of India\'s first woman police officer Kiran Bedi as its face in Delhi has divided the party, with one section overjoyed and the other left sulking. Some also feel that while the decision was right, it may have come a little too late for the BJP to score its first victory in assembly elections after 1993.
New Delhi: The BJP's projection of India's first woman police officer Kiran Bedi as its face in Delhi has divided the party, with one section overjoyed and the other left sulking. Some also feel that while the decision was right, it may have come a little too late for the BJP to score its first victory in assembly elections after 1993.
- Move boosts morale of sullen party workers
- Bedi to match anti-graft credentials of Kejriwal
- It will be difficult for AAP chief to target her
- BJP seen as relying on outsiders to take on AAP
The move took even some leaders in the BJP in Delhi by surprise but has boosted the morale of workers who were stunned by the aggressive campaign of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), party sources said. "The BJP has definitely found the right candidate (Bedi) and it will help the party's prospects as she has decades of administrative experience and knows how to get things done," party spokesman Ashwini Upadhyay said.
"She has worked on international assignments with the UN as well as on the streets to help children through her NGO," he added. Another party functionary, however, said that some leaders were sulking as their ambitions had been stifled. Arivind Kejriwal's AAP finished a surprise close second in the December 2013 election winning 28 seats against the BJP's 31.
The Congress finished a distant third with just eight seats in the house of 70. Before Bedi was brought in, opinion polls were predicting another hung house in Delhi although with the BJP doing marginally better than in 2013. Many in the BJP hope that Bedi, 65, will prove a tough match for Kejriwal, 45, who also has strong anti-corruption credentials. Both were part of the anti-corruption agitation led by Gandhian Anna Hazare.
Since her induction in the BJP, Bedi has talked about her priorities -- as a likely candidate to lead the party's campaign. BJP leaders say that while the party has considerable support among the middle class, it needs to work harder to woo the poor and the working class. They also said the BJP could not have gone without a local face after the Congress named Ajay Maken as its campaign chief.
"AAP had Kejriwal and the Congress named Maken. We were the only ones left without a prominent local face. It would have been better if the decision (about Bedi) had been taken earlier," another leader said. The BJP continues to bank on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal but now Bedi is a new face in the party's propaganda campaign.
