‘I am not a quitter’

Having lost his original Sangam Vihar constituency after delimitation, BJP’s Vijay Jolly has now been fielded against Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit from New Delhi constituency. While many say it the beginning of the end of his political career, Jolly claims he is set to fight to the finish.

Looking at the candidate whom you are fighting against, it looks like a token fight?
When one plunges into a battle, he or she never thinks whether it’s going to be a token fight or a real fight. At the time of start, a battle is a battle. My party high command has shown confidence in me. They asked me if I could take up the challenge and I said yes. If Raj Narayanji could defeat Mrs Indira Gandhi in 1977 and Ajay Maken could defeat Jagmohan in 2004, why can’t Vijay Jolly defeat Mrs Dikshit?

Did you have to take it up for losing your constituency?
My constituency evaporated so that I couldn’t contest in this election, but they don’t know I am not a quitter. We filed a PIL in October 2007 to compel the Central government to implement the order of Justice Kuldeep Singh on demarcation of Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha electoral constituencies. But nothing has come out of it as of now.

What is your plan for the contest?
I am well-versed with the issues and problems of the people of Delhi, and I am going to throw an open challenge to Mrs Dikshit to engage in a public debate with me on these issues.