Delhi assembly election 2025: How RSS held 50,000 drawing room meetings in BJP’s support

The RSS’s operations in Delhi are split into eight vibhags (zones), covering 30 districts and 173 nagars (small city units).

Before the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the dates for the Delhi polls, each vibhag was instructed to organise “drawing room meetings” in localities, offices, institutions, shopping centres, schools, and colleges, The Indian Express reported.

A senior RSS functionary was quoted in the report saying, “In my vibhag, nearly 2,000 drawing room meetings were held by Sangh swayamsevaks, while nearly 4,550 were organised by workers of other anushangik (frontal) organisations like Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), Sewa Bharti, Vishva Hindu Parishad, Akhil Bhartiya Shaikshik Mahasangh, Hindu Jagran Manch, and other units.”

Over 4 lakh people attended the 50,000 drawing room meetings held across the city. During these gatherings, the RSS emphasised its ‘panch parivartan (five changes)’ and urged participants to vote for BJP candidates in the national interest.

Key issues such as environmental pollution, family values, corruption, social harmony, and Swadeshi were also discussed.

In recent years, especially since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the RSS has played a pivotal role in BJP’s electoral campaigns. In the recent Haryana elections, BJP secured 48 out of 90 seats, while in Maharashtra, the Mahayuti alliance, including BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde), and NCP (Ajit Pawar), won 237 of the 288 seats.

Following these victories, the RSS took credit for its significant contributions to the campaigns, the news report added.

The 27-day high-stakes campaign for the February 5 Delhi assembly elections saw a fierce battle as major parties — AAP, BJP, and Congress — clashed over issues ranging from “Sheesh Mahal vs Rajmahal” to the “poisonous Yamuna,” “Bin Dulhe Ki Barat,” freebies, and personal attacks.