BJP is working overtime to ensure the success of a rival outfit which was floated recently. Sounds unbelievable, but it’s true. Sources say that Delhi BJP leaders are indirectly funding the breakaway group of Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) – Bharatiya Aam Aadmi Parivaar (BAAP).

BAAP broke away from AAP last week, protesting against Kejriwal handing over tickets for Delhi assembly polls to candidates who owed allegiance to Congress, BSP and BJP till a little while ago. Headed by Kejriwal’s long time associate Rajnish Verma, BAAP’s grouse is that the bureaucrat-turned-politician ignored old associates while finalising AAP probables for 70 Delhi assembly seats.

BAAP sources say that five probables figuring in the first AAP list for 12 seats were directly linked to either BJP or Congress. Similarly, four leaders in the second list were earlier members of NCP and BSP.
For example, the entire family of Bhim Singh, AAP’s probable candidate from Seemapuri seat, is a die-hard Congress supporter. Same is the case with AAP’s probable candidate from the Kondli seat, Jaswant Singh, who joined the party a few months ago after he was denied Congress ticket in the last municipal polls. Similarly, Kishorilal Dhanak, AAP’s probable candidate from Trilokpuri, used to be BJP’s local vice-president till 2008.

But the million dollar question is: Why is BAAP important in BJP’s scheme of things. The answer is: It’s not without reason that the BJP is backing BAAP on the sly. An internal survey of the party conducted before the AAP split predicted 27 per cent vote share for Kejriwal’s outfit, delivering a body blow to BJP’s dreams of wresting power from Sheila Dikshit. Therefore, BJP is trying every trick in the book to reduce AAP’s vote by splitting it.
While AAP leaders accuse BJP of funding and strengthening BAAP to weaken the parent party, BAAP leaders maintain that they left because of Kejriwal’s “dictatorial” attitude.

AAP leaders privately justify choosing leaders who have been associated with other parties in the past, asserting that candidates’ winnability has to be the main criterion in an election. BAAP leaders say that this very argument defeats the purpose for which AAP was created.
If the AAP-BAAP conflict continues the way it is, BJP Delhi unit chief Vijay Goel will be the happiest person on the earth. For, denting Kejriwal’s vote is the only way to stop Sheila from winning a record fourth term.