Is BJP's Swanky New Headquarters its Latest Lucky Charm?

New Delhi: The results of elections in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland brought much to cheer for the BJP. With absolute majority in Tripura and a victorious alliance with the NDPP in Nagaland, the BJP is buoyant. But BJP leaders are asking another question. Has the party’s new headquarters, at number 6, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, proven lucky for the BJP?

The BJP moved into the new headquarters on February 18 and this was the first election since then. While Meghalaya threw a spanner in the works for the BJP, the win in Nagaland and Tripura has made many in the party think the new address brings luck for the party.

Last year, the BJP announced that it would move out of its iconic headquarters on 11, Ashoka Road to a new premises on DDU Marg. The new headquarters has several blocks, two massive convention centres and a separate office meant for party president Amit Shah and his successors.

The new BJP headquarters is not the only political party office on DDU Marg. Its new neighbours include the Aam Aadmi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee. But all these smaller offices are dwarfed by the BJP's new office.

Some BJP leaders say the new office is more than just “lucky”. It is a sign, they say, of the changing political landscape of India.

The old BJP headquarters on Ashoka Road will now be handed back to the government. As one party leader explained, "According to the government's rules, a party which has between 100-200 seats in Parliament is entitled to an office premises of around 2 acres. However, a party with over 200 seats is entitled to four acres of land for its office premises. This move was pending for a long time and finally, we have made the move."

Another leader said, "Our party president recently said that for most of the BJP's history, we lost more than we won. But the BJP did not give up after its string of losses. Many leaders and karyakartas worked towards getting us to a point where we have single-party majority in Lok Sabha and governments in 21 states. When we were allotted 11, Ashoka Road, we were not such a big party. But today, we have replaced the Congress as the natural party of governance in India. That we have a four-acre premise is a sign of changing times."