BJP appoints Baijayant Jay Panda in-charge of Delhi Assembly polls

Baijayant Jay Panda, a Lok Sabha MP from Odisha, had earlier held organisational responsibilities for Delhi. His appointment as the poll in-charge will help the BJP draw from his understanding of the party's dynamics in the national capital.

In Short

• Atul Garg named co-incharge for Delhi Assembly polls
• Panda's past experience in Delhi seen as an advantage
• Delhi polls expected early next year, symbolically significant

The BJP on Tuesday appointed Baijayant Jay Panda, one of its vice-presidents, as the party's in-charge for the Assembly polls in Delhi. Ghaziabad MP Atul Garg will be the co-incharge.

Panda, a Lok Sabha MP from Odisha, had earlier held organisational responsibilities for Delhi. His appointment as the poll in-charge will help the BJP draw from his understanding of the party's dynamics in the national capital.

The Delhi Assembly polls are expected to be held early next year. The polls hold much more symbolic significance that the Union Territory's political weight.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not been in power in the capital since 1998 and is making strong efforts to inflict a political defeat on Aam Aadmi Party leader and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, a fierce critic of the saffron party under whom the AAP has become a national party.