BJP plans to hype NRC in all poll-bound states

New Delhi: With the debate on the implementation of the National Register of Citizens back in focus after Assam published its list, the BJP is likely to rake up the issue in the states headed for Assembly elections.

Sources in the BJP said most state units of the party feel the NRC should be implemented in their states as it will help weed out illegal immigrants from the voters’ list.

The demand for NRC implementation in other parts of the country comes as Assembly polls loom in the crucial states of Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand and Delhi.

The National Register of Citizens, once proposed to be specific to Assam and the Northeast, is now high on the agenda of the BJP’s state units.

Its ally, the Shiv Sena, has also come out in support of the implementation of the NRC ahead of the Assembly polls.

Riding high on a nationalistic and a national security-driven agenda, the BJP feels the NRC issue is likely to strike a chord with its core voter base.

“The issue has been on our manifesto for several years and it has been our stand that all Indian citizens need to be registered so as to weed out illegal aliens from the country. Illegal immigrants who have settled here are the most dangerous, so the implementation of NRC is required in other parts of the country,” sources added.

While Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand will go to the polls later this year, the Delhi polls are likely early next year.

In Maharashtra, Haryana and Jhark-hand, the BJP hopes to get its governments re-elected while in Delhi it hopes to take over the reins of power from the Aam Aadmi Party.