With Monday being the last day of campaigning for the Delhi Assembly elections, the three parties in the contest – AAP, BJP and the Congress – made their final bids to win voter support. The high-pitched campaign that went overboard in many ways in the claims and allegations being made, reflected the stark ideological differences among these parties. For some time, Delhi has shown great maturity in exercising its electoral choices. When it comes to the national elections, it has stood solidly behind PM Modi and the BJP. However, when it comes to the state assembly, a similar one-sided support has been shown for Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP. It was believed that the pattern would continue into the next election, but serious doubts have come to the fore.
It cannot be that the serious and repeated allegations against Kejriwal and his cohorts have not made an impact on the voters. However much Kejriwal may claim that these allegations are trumped up and a BJP tactic to destroy his credibility, the fact is that the AAP leadership has not received any serious relief from the courts. So, all that is left in the AAP kitty is its expertise at formulating freebie packages that the people of Delhi have quite preferred till now.
The challenge is that the BJP has also gone all out to formulate its own giveaways, with the added Modi guarantee of assured implementation. This is bound to have an impact on the sections of society interested only in getting more on their plate.
The Congress, which has been sidelined for many years, is making a bid to benefit from AAP’s possible slide in popularity. The danger it poses is that the sections of society ideologically opposed to the BJP may choose, in significant numbers, to abandon AAP. This they may do in the belief that the Congress may take away some of BJP’s middle-class voters. This seems a somewhat far-fetched scenario, but the possibility has added some masala to the contest. The Congress effort will, however, revive the party’s cadre base, which has languished in a state of demoralisation over the years.
Sadly for Kejriwal, however, even if he wins, it would still not be a legitimate mandate for him to become Chief Minister again, as the judicial sword still hangs over him. In fact, AAP supporters may do well to ensure Atishi returns as CM and the controversial leaders are cast out till such time they are acquitted by the courts.
