Brij Bhardwaj
All the big guns preparing to contest the Delhi polls, for which only a few days are left, have filed their nomination papers in the last two days. The campaigns have become shrill as fresh accusations are made every day and Election Commission authorities are being kept busy with complaints by three political parties in the contest. There is no more talk of Congress top leadership being lukewarm in the contest, with the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi addressing public rallies in support of Congress candidates and attacking former Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal.
This has added to challenges facing the Aam Aadmi Party, which has lost much of its shine after 10 years of incumbency. It has also been hurt by allegations relating to the Liquor Scam, which led to the arrest of its top leaders, including the former Chief Minister. Allegations relating to lavish fittings in the renovation of the Chief Minister’s Residence have also damaged his reputation, as when he came to power he had declared that he would not use the benefits which come with the office of Chief Minister.
As such, no one expects the AAP to sweep the polls as it did in the last two elections for the Delhi Assembly, in which the BJP could get only eight seats, and the Congress had no presence in the Assembly. Kejriwal and AAP got more than fifty per cent of the votes polled, with the BJP getting 3 per cent, and Congress only four per cent. The BJP hopes to improve its tally because of the anti-incumbency factor hitting the ruling party AAP. There is also hope that Congress may improve its tally by cutting into the AAP support among Muslims and Dalits.
Congress and AAP, who are part of INDIA alliance of opposition parties, had an alliance in the Lok Sabha elections but are fighting each other this time. It is believed that most of the gains that the Congress party may make will be at the cost of AAP. The bitterness between two former allies has reached the extent of Congress leaders calling the AAP Convenor anti-national, while AAP has accused Congress of being the B Team of the BJP. To the extent that Congress fortunes are revived in Delhi, it will be a gain for BJP.
The regional parties who are part of the INDIA alliance of opposition parties have declared their support for AAP. The parties who have spoken in their favour include Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena, and the NCP. They all have criticised Congress leadership for going against a regional party which was in power and had the best prospects in a fight against BJP. Some have even raised doubts about the survival of the INDIA alliance in view of recent developments.
Congress, on the other hand, argues that AAP had damaged the prospects of the Congress Party in the elections to state Assemblies held in Gujarat, Haryana, Goa, and other states where it had no base. Congress is keen to reclaim the space in Delhi which AAP had taken over by defeating the Congress which had ruled Delhi for ten years before AAP came into picture. So there is no love lost between the two. They are fighting each other in all States and are main competitors in Punjab.
The BJP’s disadvantage is a lack of a local face who could match Kejriwal’s popularity. The BJP argues that it does not declare a Chief Minister in advance and this has not prevented them from winning in Maharashtra and Haryana. In addition, AAP has also announced many new schemes like allowances for women and treatment for the elderly in private hospitals free of cost. It hopes that these will help them as has been the case in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
There is little doubt that it will be a tough contest between AAP and BJP with Congress acting as a spoiler which may win a few seats dominated by minority communities.
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