In a major
departure from the past, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s decision not to name its
chief ministerial candidate ahead of Delhi elections betrays its nervousness.
Since the BJP came to power in 2014 and bettered its performance in 2019
general elections, the party had always taunted its political rivals, particularly
the Congress party, of going to the electoral battle field without a commander.
The BJP, which has always claimed to be a “party with a difference” by naming
its chief ministerial candidate known to the voters before the elections, has
been forced to revisit its strategy this time.
Having lost
five of the six states which went to the polls last year, not to speak of the
near-about rout in Haryana where it somehow strolled to power by joining hands
with its rival -- the Jannayak Janata Party of Dushyant Chautala – the
confidence level of the BJP has certainly taken a knock. With no credible face
to take on the incumbent Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP), the BJP has once again decided to cash on the popularity of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi. But, has it not been the strategy of the BJP since 2014 when it
has repeatedly reaped political benefits in the states by piggy-backing on the
aura of Modi?
But the
last few state elections are a proof that while Modi remains indispensable at
the national level, his magic is weaning in states where people are more
concerned about bread and butter. BJP’s opponents have triumphed by harping on
the people-centric issues as opposed to the BJP’s nationalist agenda, be it the
revocation of Article 370 in Kashmir which provided special status to the
former princely state, or the Supreme Court verdict on the decades-old
contentious Babri mosque verdict in Ayodhya. Even the anti-Pakistan rhetoric,
which has been the hallmark of the BJP during elections, has not resulted in
political dividends for the party.
Unlike in
the past, the BJP has been way behind in declaring its candidates for Delhi
polls. In fact, it waited for the AAP and the Congress before declaring its
candidates. The party also suffered a setback as one of its oldest allies, the
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), chose to stay away from the polls reportedly on its
reservations to the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act. Though SAD failed
to make a cut in the last assembly elections in the Sikh-dominated
constituencies, its decision not to field candidates is also being read as a warning
signal to the BJP.
Other than
the regularisation of 1,728 unauthorised colonies, on which both the AAP and
the BJP claim ownership, the latter does not have much to flaunt about. All the
three municipal corporations run by the BJP are in a shambles with repeatedly
getting flak from the apex court for turning Delhi into a garbage city. The
municipal corporations of the national capital have been disdainfully pathetic
to Prime Minister Narendra Modi government’s ambitious Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. While
smaller cities have taken a steady march on the cleanliness drive, Delhi is
nowhere near the race. In a Swachh Survekshan League 2020 released by the Union
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for two quarters April 1 to June 30, and
July 2 to September 30 in January this year, the three municipal corporations
ranked almost at the bottom of 49 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across India.
Delhi
Police, which comes under the Union home ministry, has been at the receiving
end for its high-handedness as well as inept handling of the anti-CAA
(Citizenship Amendment Act) protests on the campuses of the Jamia Millia
Islamia and the Jawaharlal Nehru University respectively. Its seemingly preordained
inquiry following the violence between two student groups in JNU is much left
to be desired.
On the
other hand, the AAP’s stocks are high as several of its welfare measures have
added many newcomers, who have been largely benefited from the party’s
largesse, to its fold besides its committed cadre. Starting its inning as a rookie party, it has
done well on its promises on education, healthcare, water, power etc, despite
its failing on pollution and poor transport system.
Facing heat
over CAA, price rise, job losses, rural distress and falling economy, the BJP
has decided to convert the fight between two main political parties to a battle
between Modi and Kejriwal. It remains to be seen who Delhi votes for on
February 8 – a popular Modi or a charismatic Kejriwal.
