NEW DELHI: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) played a crucial role in consolidating support for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Delhi Assembly elections through a low-key voter outreach campaign, sources said. The initiative, aimed at raising awareness about governance issues, is believed to have contributed to the BJP’s landslide victory, marking its return to power in the national capital after 27 years.
Amid high-pitched electioneering by political parties, RSS volunteers conducted a silent “voter awareness” drive across Delhi, holding “thousands of drawing-room meetings” to discuss key issues such as cleanliness, potable water supply, healthcare, air pollution, and the cleaning of the Yamuna River, sources said.
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A major focus of these meetings was to counter the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) governance model by discussing corruption allegations and unfulfilled promises made by the Arvind Kejriwal-led party during its decade-long rule. The issue of illegal immigrants in the city was also highlighted, they added.
“In such meetings, the RSS volunteers only highlight and discuss the issues affecting the people. They do not explicitly ask them to cast their votes in support of any particular political party. People are just made aware of the issues and exhorted to cast their votes to elect an effective and accountable government,” a source in the RSS told PTI.
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The campaign, launched over a month before polling, targeted various voter groups, including those in slums and unauthorised colonies—areas where AAP traditionally held a strong base. In these regions, RSS volunteers collaborated with like-minded organisations to extend their outreach.
The RSS, as the ideological backbone of the BJP, has been known for such electoral mobilisation efforts. However, after the BJP’s underwhelming performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the organisation intensified its voter engagement strategies in states like Haryana and Maharashtra, where the BJP secured decisive victories in recent months.
In Delhi, the BJP’s election efforts were closely coordinated with the RSS, sources said. “At least 500 drawing-room (small group) meetings were held in Dwarka alone,” one RSS source revealed.
Also read: Delhi election results: How the OGs of AAP became Kejriwal’s biggest critics over the decade
“The RSS doesn’t work for credit. It believes in working behind the curtains,” the sources added.
On Saturday, the BJP decisively defeated AAP in Delhi, winning or leading in 48 of the 70 assembly seats, well past the majority mark of 36, according to the Election Commission. AAP was left with just 22 seats, suffering a massive setback.
Among the major AAP leaders who lost were chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, his close aide and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, along with key figures such as Somnath Bharti and Saurabh Bhardwaj.
