BJP making silent push for AAP's stronghold — slums

NEW DELHI: For the past few months, Delhi's slums have been at the heart of a quiet, but steady outreach by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — marked by visits and overnight stays — in the city's sprawling jhuggis, aiming to woo a voter base that has long been a stronghold of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

- Alok KN Mishra

With assembly elections looming, the BJP is making a push to penetrate this key demographic, which could determine the outcome in 20 of Delhi's 70 assembly constituencies.

Estimates suggest that around 3 million people live in Delhi's 750 slums, with half of them registered voters — a tenth of the city's voter base of around 15 million.

The assembly constituencies with big bases of slum voters are Narela, Adarsh Nagar, Wazirpur, Model Town, Rajendra Nagar, Sangam Vihar, Badarpur, Tughlakabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Seemapuri, Babarppur, Trilokpuri, Kondli, Okhla, Moti Nagar, Madipur, Shalimar Bagh, Matiala and Kirari.

Traditionally, this group has overwhelmingly supported the AAP, thanks to the party's welfare schemes, including free electricity, bus rides for women, subsidized health care, and improved sanitation. Yet, the BJP is attempting to upend this dynamic by spotlighting unaddressed grievances and positioning itself as a solution-driven alternative.

BJP's 'jhuggi vistar'

The BJP has been running what it calls the "jhuggi vistar" (slum outreach expansion) programme. Under the campaign, the BJP has sent leaders into the slums weekly, engaging with residents to address issues such as water supply, sanitation, and ration card distribution. Night stays have become a symbolic gesture of solidarity, with party leaders, including MPs and top functionaries, spending time with slum-dwellers to understand their struggles firsthand.

This, they feel, will help the BJP counter the influence of the AAP, which has established a stronghold in slums.