Delhi Assembly elections: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to monitor poll booths
New Delhi: As the poll campaign came to an end on Thursday, the BJP’s big brother RSS swung into action. Swayamasevaks will supervise booth management to ensure maximum voter turnout for the election in the national capital. The swayamsevaks will also continue their “jansampark (mass contact)” programme.
The BJP propaganda machinery had already been distributing personalised printed letters with pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi and the respective candidates along with an English weekly magazine, which had predicted a clear victory for the party. In a South Delhi colony, the letters along with the copies of the magazine were distributed through a PR agency.
The Opposition, particularly the Congress and the AAP, have accused the BJP of spending “crores and crores of rupees to buy out the voters.” The AAP on Thursday accused the BJP of distributing money and liquor to the voters.
With AAP volunteers, who had come from different parts of the country, packing up as the poll campaign ended, the RSS has taken charge to ensure a victory for the saffron outfit. A highly-placed source said that the RSS has a 60-hour action plan to give a final push for a clear cut majority to the BJP. “The RSS is working on its Congress-free India plank. That’s why we had been watching the AAP campaign in these elections.”
RSS to keep watch on rival candidates
The RSS has been keenly watching the campaign strategy of the AAP with a view to rout them and the Congress. “Now, they have exhausted all options. It is our turn to take on all of our rivals,” a highly placed source in the RSS said.
There are clear indications that the swayamsevaks would personally reach out to BJP sympathisers to ensure people turn up in large numbers to vote on Saturday.
It is reliably learnt that the RSS will depute its cadres at all polling booths to monitor and coordinate with the BJP for a good turnout.
The sources said that the RSS has reportedly instructed its cadre to keep a watch on all the rival candidates so that they are not able to distribute liquor and cash to entice voters.
“The RSS cadre will document all such violations and hand them over to the BJP candidates so that they can take up such complaints with the Election Commission,” a local BJP leader said
However, the AAP openly accused the BJP of trying to “buy votes” ahead of the Assembly polls by distributing money and free liquor. AAP leader Ashutosh alleged that his party had information that the BJP was ‘distributing’ money, liquor and non-vegetarian food to the public and was also seizing their voter identity cards.
Mr Ashutosh said, “We also have information that they are trying to traumatise and threaten these voters that if they vote for the AAP, they will have to bear the consequences later.”
BJP spokesperson G.V.L. Narsimha, however, attacked the AAP for allegedly “selling” their party tickets in these elections. He accused the AAP candidates of collecting and storing liquor for distribution. “They make all kinds of allegations against every party and institution, including the poll panel, but they think they are not required to answer any questions.” he said.
