Parties are gearing up for the Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCD) elections that are scheduled to be held in April. This year the parties that will compete with each other are the Congress party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Aam Aadmi Party and the newly-formed Swaraj India, which is contesting its first election. Congress party currently with no members in the legislative assembly is trying to position itself as the only active opposition in Delhi. According to the reports by Indian Express at a small party office in west Delhi, there are 20 volunteers who make over 350 calls each day and reach out to party workers named as references in the candidature applications the party received in February.
After a preliminary screening sorting duplication and other discrepancies, the party has identified 94,000 workers, whose opinions are now being sought in choosing suitable candidates for the MCD elections. The volunteers check the names, addresses and preferred candidate of each party worker. There is a software, with names of all applicants and their references, which helps them in keeping a track.The volunteers spend about 45 seconds on a call and all calls are recorded and responses logged in so that the party can maintain a database.
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Amit Chaddha, who runs the control room for the party, said the volunteers have so far covered approximately 140 wards and the exercise is likely to be completed by March 12. Winnability is the primary factor that is emphasised by the party for selecting a candidate. The party chief Ajay Maken said that after this, a screening committee will meet the applicants and select the best candidates. However, they will also speak to the second and third best so that they continue to support. For the party, this also helps identify its workers on the ground and give them the confidence to choose candidates. Maken added that Elections depend on ground support and this is the best way to involve the workers.