Who will win Delhi? BJP hopes to rein in AAP as national capital goes to polls today

The polling for the Delhi Assembly Elections began on Wednesday morning with 1.56 crore voters rallying to decide the fate of 699 candidates in the national capital. The elections are underway at 13,766 stations across all 70 Assembly constituencies.

Though it is a three-pronged fight between AAP, BJP and Congress, the battle is mostly between the ruling AAP, seeking a third term, and the Opposition BJP which wants to wrest the national capital. The Congress, which once ruled Delhi, now strives to gain some ground, with its campaigning ending without even a single seat last elections.

BJP's hope to unseat Kejriwal

The saffron party had roped in all its big guns, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to reclaim the capital after over 27 years. While the mood in the ground so far has been a "near-certain victory" for AAP, the BJP has managed to make some inroads into AAP-dominated areas, if the outcome of the last Assembly election is anything to go by.

The BJP has not taken the battle lightly with the party projecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the mascot and lead campaigner. The party has also pivoted to the lower-class voters, along with the middle class. AAP too has always had its focus on the lower class, stressing the narrative that the AAP works for them.

The AAP has anchored its campaign on the controversial 'Revadi politics' which the BJP is very critical of. The AAP has turned this into a campaign point, stating that "Kejriwal decided that people should get facilities just like politicians." In November, Delhi Minister Gopal Rai made the party's stance clear when it said it would continue to give people freebies. "People and BJP said these are 'revadis' and this should be stopped. Aam Aadmi Party is launching 'revadi Par Charcha' campaign," Rai added.

The BJP is also hoping that its strong base, the middle class will vote for it, especially after the Budget announcements. It hopes the Budget proposals would cheer up the salaried class and Delhi's businessmen, most of whom are medium and small and micro enterprises. While this may ring true, it has to be seen whether the salaried class in Delhi are a big enough segment to influence the election outcome.

The party has also pegged its campaign on its "development track record", "welfare programmes" and "Modi guarantee".

However, the two areas where the BJP strategy is found lacking are in countering Kejriwal's image and highlighting a CM face. The AAP convener rose to prominence as an anti-corruption warrior and his stint in jail for corruption charges with regard to Delhi excise policy failed to dent his image. Voters so far have shown no heed to Kejriwal's time in jail or the controversy surrounding "Sheesh Mahal".

The BJP has also failed to find a chief minister's face, someone who can take on Kejriwal. While the BJP hopes to cover this by highlighting the Modi image, it has failed to nurture a leader who can take on Kejriwal in Delhi.