Delhi election curtain raiser (Part 1) AAP's acid test

Delhi election curtain raiser (Part 1)

AAP's acid test

The Delhi assembly elections have been announced as expected. There is a three-way fight between the BJP, which has been hoping to gain power in Delhi for the last 27 years, the Congress, which has been losing support since the last one, and the AAP, which has won the past two elections handsomely even in the Modi wave. 

However, the AAP, faces a big challenge to retain power this time.

Although the Election Commission has now announced the dates for the Delhi elections, the Delhi election campaign had already begun many months ago. Now it will gain more momentum. 

The picture of the Delhi elections this time has also changed a little compared to the Lok Sabha elections. In the Lok Sabha elections, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress had contested the elections together against the BJP. Now there is such hostility between the AAP and the Congress that the Congress has referred to Arvind Kejriwal as a traitor. 

The AAP is facing the assembly elections on its own. Congress has done the work of obstructing the pro-people schemes of AAP. Former Congress MP Sandeep Dixit complained to the Lieutenant Governor and asked him to investigate the survey of the Mahila Samman Yojana. The enmity between AAP and Congress has reached such an extreme that it is threatening the existence of the 'India' alliance. The growing tension between these two parties is likely to favour the BJP. 

BJP has not been able to win power in Delhi since 1998. In 2014, despite the wave of Prime Minister Narendra Modi across the country, Kejriwal thwarted it. Kejriwal successfully demonstrated the shock tactic of directly challenging big leaders and contesting elections against them. Now Congress and BJP have devised a strategy to keep him trapped using the same tactic. 

Congress has fielded former Chief Minister Sheila Dixit's son Sandeep in the election fray, while BJP has fielded former Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma's son Parvesh Verma against Kejriwal. 

AAP has taken the lead in the campaign by declaring all the candidates even before the elections are announced. Kejriwal has also used the BJP's booth strengthening formula; but since he has been in power for more than ten years, he is likely to be affected by anti-incumbency sentiment to some extent. Although AAP has adopted some options like changing candidates and changing constituencies, the success of the party now depends on how much the Delhi people trust it. 

The Aam Aadmi Party has entered the fray to win power for the fourth consecutive time. It has announced all its candidates. The Congress is also in the fray with 48 candidates. The BJP has announced only 29 candidates at the time when we are publishing our survey.

Chief Minister Atishi is in the fray from the Kalkaji assembly constituency this time too. The Congress has fielded Rashtriya Mahila Morcha president Alka Lamba against her. The BJP has fielded former MP Ramesh Bidhuri from here; but Bidhuri has come into the news for his controversial statements about Priyanka Gandhi even before the elections.

AAP is in the fray to clean up its image and purify politics. Many leaders of this party, which initially implemented good policies by considering the hopes and aspirations of the people, had to go to jail on many charges including the Delhi liquor scam. 

Although AAP is capitalizing on it, saying that it is political vendatta if we look at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speeches in Delhi last week, we can see the BJP's strategy of using the same issue on which AAP rose politically, namely corruption, to create a dilemma for AAP. 

The CAG report, castigating AAP Govt, which was released a day before the election was announced, is a boon for the BJP. 

While Kejriwal considers himself to be very simple, the lavish expenditure on the Chief Minister's residence 'Sheesh Mahal ' has now become a campaign issue, and AAP cannot properly counter it. 

Former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also had to go to jail. Now he is contesting from Jangpura migrating from his earlier seat of Patparganj. Congress has fielded former mayor Farhad Suri and BJP has fielded three-time MLA Tarvinder Singh Marwah against Sisodia.

So far, all parties seem to have given priority to leaders from other parties in ticket distribution. The first list of BJP candidates includes the names of seven leaders who have switched parties. AAP has shown faith in 11 leaders from other parties, while Congress has so far announced the candidature of three leaders who have switched parties. 

AAP was born in 2012 after Anna Hazare's  Lokpal and Anti - Corruption agitations. Kejriwal, who entered social work by holding the finger of senior social worker Anna Hazare, betrayed him while forming a political party. 

AAP which won 28 seats in the 2013 elections, came to power with the support of Congress. Kejriwal lost power in just 48 days after Congress withdrew its support.

However after that from 2015 onwards Kejriwal has not looked back winning huge majorities in 2015 and 2020. AAP's growth is due to its erosion of Congress's roots. Delhiites were twice seduced by the slogans of free electricity, water and bus travel free for ladies.. Even now, AAP is leading the election campaign on promises like Rs 2,100 per month for women and free healthcare for the elderly. 

The BJP has been out of power in Delhi since 1998, losing to the Congress in three elections and AAP in three elections.

What will happen in Delhi this time.

For the answer - wait for part 2 of our survey.

Dayanand Nene