With just days to go before the Lok Sabha elections in India, political parties have stepped up their preparations and are campaigning hard to reach out to voters.
Polling for the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi will take place on 25 May. In the last two Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won all seven seats in the capital.
This time, however, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress have formed an alliance to deny the BJP a clean sweep.
The BJP is contesting all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, while the AAP is contesting four and the Congress is fielding candidates in three. BJP and AAP have announced their respective candidates while Congress is yet to decide.
This time, the saffron party has changed six of its seven candidates in the national capital. It has fielded Praveen Khandelwal from the Chandni Chowk constituency, Harsh Malhotra from East Delhi, Bansuri Swaraj from New Delhi, Yogender Chandolia from North West Delhi, Kamaljeet Sehrawat from West Delhi and Ramvir Singh Bidhuri from South Delhi, while retaining Manoj Tiwari from North East Delhi.
Meanwhile, AAP has nominated Kuldeep Kumar from East Delhi, Somnath Bharti from New Delhi, Mahabal Mishra from West Delhi and Sahi Ram Pehelwan from South Delhi.
Sputnik India spoke to BJP's Chandni Chowk candidate Praveen Khandelwal about the party's prospects in the upcoming elections, the strategy behind the BJP's decision to change six candidates and US interference in India's internal affairs.
BJP Poised for Third Consecutive 7-0 Victory
Talking about the BJP's prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the national capital, Khandelwal told Sputnik India that the party is all set to win all seven seats in Delhi for the third time.
“If we talk specifically about Delhi, then there is no threat from this alliance. The alliance between Congress and Aam Aadmi Party is purely based on politics of convenience,” he said while sharing his views on alliance between AAP and Congress.
He further stated that BJP, under the leadership Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is set to win all the seven seats in the national capital with a comfortable margin and certainly the Chandni Chowk seat is going to set a victory record.
BJP to Solidify as Dominant Party
Sharing his views on the change of six out of seven candidates and the strategy behind it, the party candidate said that the tickets were given to the deserving candidates and the decision was well taken by all the colleagues in the party who have been working for the party for a very long time.
“Everyone is working to strengthen the party and make sure that the candidates selected by the party win the elections. The workers of the party have also taken this decision of the party in right spirit and working unitedly to ensure party’s victory,” Khandelwal stated.
He noted that the party took the decision because it believes that opportunities should be given to all people at all levels.
He went on to say that he believes it's an important decision that will make the BJP a stronger party in the Indian political spectrum.
No Country Should Interfere in Internal Affairs of Others
Commenting on US interference in India's internal affairs, particularly the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Khandelwal said that everyone is bound to follow the law of the land and the arrest of Kejriwal is just a step in the same direction.
He said that the judiciary has given the mandate, so if anyone has an opinion against it, there are forums to appeal.
“However, as far as US comments are concerned, I think it’s purely an internal matter of India and no country whatsoever should make any comments on it. It is even more important because Indian judicial system is competent enough to take decision based on the evidences available so any other country should refrain from commenting on it,” the candidate stated.
Commenting on the Indian government's handling of the issue, Khandelwal said that the government has dealt with the matter in a very efficient manner and has sent a strong message to the countries that are trying to interfere in India's internal affairs.