Despite losing many assembly elections, i.e., all of Delhi ‘s seats in the Lok Sabha election, as well as the 2017 MCD election, why does Kejriwal look so confident?
The answer lies in the fact that there is no other option other than Kejriwal, in Delhi; the way he has worked in the field of education and health is a landmark example. He has fulfilled almost all the poll promises; his various schemes and freebies are so attractive, that even his haters are confused about what they should criticise the Kejriwal government for.
When even Kejriwal’s trollers get the benefit of subsidised electricity, free medical tests, quality education, free bus rides for women, and very soon, free wifi, then they too, are experiencing a feel-good factor.
How The Absence Of Stable Leadership In BJP And INC Is Helping AAP
The best thing for the AAP government is the absence of able leadership in Delhi’s BJP and INC. Delhi BJP’s internal fight is so obvious, that everyone knows that many leaders of BJP want to be the CM, and this became even more apparent when Mr.Hardeep Puri, announced Manoj Tiwari as the CM, only to clarify within few hours, that he didn’t mean it.
From Vijay Goel, Vijendra Gupta to Manoj Tiwari, all of them want to be the CM, while the most popular accepted face of Delhi BJP is Dr.Harshvardhan; but his name is still not in the open market and if he becomes CM, then definitely, he will give AAP a good fight.
The most interesting part is that it seems the BJP is afraid to announce someone’s name because other contenders may damage the party, internally. If BJP announces Manoj Tiwari as CM, then it will be a cakewalk for AAP. And because of these reasons, AAP wants BJP to announce its CM candidate.
The fact that it was Kejriwal who stopped BJP in Delhi, after Modi’s win in 2014, still haunts BJP, and so they are afraid of declaring their weak candidates against Kejriwal; the work AAP has done has upgraded the expectation levels from a Delhi CM.
BJP still wants to depend upon Modi’s brand, Hindutva, Pulwama, Triple Talaq and Article 370 but they don’t want to talk about an economic slowdown, job cuts, and other major issues. The cut in the education budget and onion prices, which would be an issue of hue and cry in other governments, is fine when it comes to BJP.
On the other hand, the Delhi government focuses on work and towards the upliftment of the marginalised sections of the society. It has uplifted the quality of life of people in Delhi for sure. The concept of Mohalla clinic is not only being appreciated in Delhi but other governments are also following the same – it has attracted foreign delegates as well.
Doorstep delivery and transparency in various steps have made people happy. The effort of the Delhi government to remove the middleman is also known to all.
The absence of a face for CM is not only the issue with BJP but INC as well; both these parties are trying hard to woo voters by levelling allegations against the AAP government and bringing purvanchalis face in the party. But the fact remains, that they have no able CM face or if they do, then they are afraid to announce it against Kejriwal.
Both INC and BJP want to attract voters based on top party leadership and ideology, but they have not come up with any clear vision. The issue of statehood for Delhi, which was a poll promise of BJP, is still an issue of debate. The curtailment of power, by taking away ‘services’ from the AAP government, only increases the controversy; the budget allocation for Delhi also seems very low.
Steps such as free electricity and bus rides for women have made the situation worse for the opposition in Delhi, as they can neither oppose it nor accept it.
Having said that, the AAP government also needs to be very cautious, as they too have a long list of controversies, regarding their stand on various issues. It needs to be very clear so that they do not repeat the mistakes they made in Lok Sabha elections.
The 2020 election is going to be a very interesting one, as after 5 years of a power tussle, and allegations, it is again, going to be Modi vs Kejriwal.