Jhadoo magic wins in MCD elections
The Aam Aadmi Party’s victory in the elections to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi was a foregone conclusion even before the ballots were opened for counting on December 7, Wednesday. Dislodging the BJP from the municipal corporation was the one step for AAP to fulfil its state-wide dreams, it seems to have worked in favour of the newest party in town with an effective grassroots campaign. The day will also go down as one on which AAP will be stuck with the Delhi-party pejorative and see its dreams of spreading across the country come to a full-stop, at least for now.
The 250 wards of Delhi have been a BJP responsibility for some 15 years, even with and after the trifurcation. By freeing itself of the municipality, the BJP has more to gain from being dismissed as a Delhi baniya party now that it has other sources of funding. Conversely, the AAP will gain the money the MCD brings much like the Shiv Sena stronghold on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation which powers that party.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has more responsibilities ahead of him to make Delhi a sparkling city, away from the trauma of unattended garbage over sweeper salary woes under the BJP-ruled MCD. The AAP will also get to make affordable healthcare via mohalla clinics and extend its education agenda across MCD run schools, apart from the government schools. The Delhi citizen will be the gainer even if she/he overlooked the tall promises of the BJP willing to waive property tax dues of some 12 years etc.
MCD election 2022: AAP ready with victory posters and balloons but reality bites on counting day
An investment for better civic amenities has been the result in this MCD election. It also comes a day ahead of the results of the elections to the Gujarat Assembly and the Himachal Pradesh Assembly. Exit polls have not been kind to the AAP given its no-holds-barred campaign in Gujarat. That may take time but for now, Kejriwal and his party will be complete masters of Delhi even its municipal body. The slogan ‘MCD mein bhi Kejriwal’ seems to have worked bringing much more responsibility onto the shoulders of the Delhi CM.
The whittling away of BJP strongholds by AAP councillors will come full circle when the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are here. The BJP will have a tough task on hand convincing its voters of the civic effort and instead will have to revert to repurposing the 2014 Modi campaign yet again. Despite the BJP itself offering the property tax dues waiver, the party had been on the frontfoot against electoral promises in a bit to curb the AAP’s reach on water and power. Voter turnout for the MCD poll was about 50 per cent on a Sunday, the Delhi voter who voted is loud and clear: Revdis welcome in India’s capital!
