Last time around, in 2012, the BJP won 138 seats, the Congress 77. The rest of the 272 seats went to the BSP, the RLD, the INLD, the NCP, the JD(U), the SP and 24 independents. Given this kind of interest by so many political parties, it may be difficult to believe that this is only a civic or local bodies election. But then, it is the elections to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, slated for April 23. Like Mumbai, the capital city of India is home to people from all over the country, many of them, third generation voters.
A few parties picked up their Tamil and Malayalee members to campaign in their mother tongue in the wards of Mayur Vihar which has a decent sprinkling of people for whom home is Kochi or Chennai. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar addressed a huge gathering of “Purvanchali” voters, saying they were not migrants. “You are residents here,” he told them, before lashing out at the poor state of civic infrastructure.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) and his government have been sandwiched uncomfortably between the BJP government at the Centre and the three corporations of the MCD, which has been dominated by the BJP for the last ten years.
The upcoming civic polls is the first since the Aam Aadmi Party was swept into office in February 2015. It won with a stunning majority, bagging all but three of the 70 legislative assembly constituencies. It is also the first MCD elections that the ruling party, AAP, will be fighting in its home turf of the National Capital Territory. The BJP, which won the remaining three seats by way of a fig leaf , recently won the byelections in Rajouri Gardens, taking the party's strength to 4, and reducing the AAP's to 66. But the bypoll results have widely been seen as an indication of which way the wind is blowing.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tried to make light of it, saying they will have to see why the connect failed, but was confident it would not affect the MCD elections.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and AAP leader Manish Sisodia with party leader Dilip Pandey addressing a press conference | PTI
One of the posters of the AAP reads, “MCD chunav main jhadu chalao, Delhi Se Gandgi Bhagao”—use the broom and sweep off filth. The broom is the symbol of the AAP. The metaphor has been used to highlight that the BJP-run MCDs have constantly been faced with mountains of garbage, and sweepers have often struck work, adding to the woes of residents.
Kejriwal, who is the national convenor of the AAP, said the victory would be on the same scale they got in 2015 assembly elections. “People will repose their faith in us to fix the ailing municipal bodies of Delhi,” the chief minister said, announcing also that as soon as they come to power in the MCD, they will abolish the collection of residential house tax and waive off all pending dues on this account.
“We are making this promise with full responsibility and after thorough study and planning,” he said.
Even as the BJP pointed out it was illegal, AAP's Delhi state convenor Dilip Pandeyu retorted with old manifestoes of the BJP—in 2012 and 2007 the party had promised to abolish house tax. AAP has also promised MCD workers the release of their salary by the 7th of every month.
The BJP manifesto promises that there will be no new tax, that it will regularise unauthorised colonies in one year, protect cows and make Delhi garbage free.
The AAP is campaigning for the civic elections as if it were trying to retain its 2015 results in assembly and its government, which has constantly faced pinpricks from the Centre. The Delhi chief minister has very little powers, unlike his counterparts in other states. On big issues, the Centre decides. On the very local and crucial civic issues, the MCDs call the shot.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh planted a flag bearing “Mission Zero Landfill Delhi” at Ghazipur where an overflowing landfill site looks like a part of the Aravalli hills. “A Congress led MCD will close all the santitary landfills in two years, and will strictly adhere to the revised Solid Waste Management rules, 2016,” he said.
Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee President Ajay Maken, senior leader P.C. Chacko and others release party manifesto for MCD elections | PTI
But the very popular former chief minister Sheila Dixit is likely to lead the campaign, along with Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken. All the senior Congress leaders have been asked to participate in a campaign that will be all about meeting residents in their homes. The party has used the traditional media as well as the social. But what seems to be a hit everywhere is the flash mobs that follow a campaign to support Congress and support experience.
AAP's blitz of full page ads in many dailies and its ads on TV and radio jingles, though meant to celebrate work done in two years, have been seen as an on the face launch of its campaign for the MCD polls. Recently, Delhi Lt governor Anil Baijal asked the government to recover Rs 97 crores from the AAP. The amount is what he believes they spent on the party's advertisments.
Interestingly, also in fray will be the Swaraj Abhiyan, floated by former AAP founder member Yogendra Yadav.
