The BJP’s victory in the Delhi Assembly elections may have been a resounding one but it has a tough task ahead as regards implementing the mandate it has received. The ten years of Arvind Kejriwal’s populist rule have left behind a mess that mere ‘guarantees’ will not solve. Quite obviously, the city-state’s population has realised that no matter how many freebies are distributed, the fundamental issues of development, the economy and the environment need to be addressed. The deterioration in these areas more than nullifies whatever relief the giveaways may have been providing.
Without a doubt, the pollution of the Yamuna proved to be a significant factor in the elections. Kejriwal made the mistake of making all kinds of promises in this regard which were not delivered in the end. Matters were made worse by the specious excuses he made when confronted by the issue during the election campaign. In the present day, every lie is easily exposed by videos of past claims and promises. He was seen to be consistently kicking the can down the road on these significant issues, which he could not even begin to address because of the confrontationist politics he adopted against the central government. Being merely focused on winning elections by hook or by crook is not good governance and the people were bound to realise this in the end.
Cleaning the Yamuna, dealing with air-pollution, important infrastructure projects with a decade or two horizon in mind is going to be a major task that will require good planning and implementation. (Consider how the metro project in Dehradun has been stalled because of inadequacies in planning and project design.)
So, even as there is reason for celebration in the BJP camp, the party will have to act fast in getting its act together. There is no time for politics and personal ambition regarding selection of the Chief Minister and the cabinet. The culture of political patronage of the corrupt generated by AAP during its ten years in office will have to be attacked immediately. Promises made will have to be implemented quite visibly so that public support is available for the more difficult task ahead. There are problems that mostly require better management such as waste disposal and delivery of public services. Politics should not get in the way of whatever AAP has managed to do right – it should be built upon so that the effort put in does not go to waste.
