With Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the main mascot, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fulfilled its longest-held desire by scoring a stunning victory in Delhi. It has returned to power after 27 years. That’s the longest BJP had to wait for in any state it was in power.
The BJP was the principal opposition party during the 15 years of Congress’s Sheila Dikshit and then again during Arvind Kejriwal’s back-to-back two tenures. From the opposition party, the BJP will now head a clear majority government in the national capital. The BJP will have its 15th chief minister in the country and together with NDA they are in power in 20 states of the country.
Delhi’s victory is important as for the first time, in almost three decades, there be a BJP government in both the state and at the Centre for a much longer duration. “It's a matter of excitement and satisfaction for the people of Delhi as they have freed the city from Aapda,” Modi said addressing the victory rally at the party headquarters in Delhi.
Modi thanked the voters saying it was a big mandate. “Delhi is a mini India. Delhi lives the vision of India,” the PM said indicating that Delhi’s cabinet and policies will reflect benefits for different communities and groups.
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What took the BJP so much time to breach the Delhi fortress was that the party did not have an effective local leadership who could take on much stronger Sheila Dikshit and Arvind Kejriwal. During the 2015 polls, the BJP even experimented with picking up Kiran Bedi as a candidate against Kejriwal but it did not help the party.
So it meant destroying the brand Kejriwal, who had to spend five months in jail on corruption charges, terming it as aapda (disaster) for the national capital. Kejriwal gave the issue of Sheesh Mahal on a platter to the BJP.
Moreover, as both Congress and AAP fought separately, it led to AAP’s loss of several seats. Like in the case of New Delhi, where Kejriwal lost, Manish Sisodia lost from Jangpura, and minister Saurabh Bhardwaj lost from Greater Kailash as the votes polled by Congress candidates was more than the winning margin. Had both the parties fought together, could the results been different? The question will rankle both the opposition parties.
The BJP’s experiment of not declaring a CM candidate has been successful. This also marks the success of the strategy where the party was trying to regain power. Whom will the party pick for its chief minister will send out a strong message not just in the capital but also in the country.
BJP chief J.P. Nadda said people have reposed faith in Delhi and its delivery promise.
"Delhi's people have given a huge mandate to the BJP. We will respect it and I congratulate the people of Delhi from the bottom of my heart... The credit for this victory goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We have many challenges ahead of us,” BJP’s Pravesh Verma said. He is also one of the strong contenders for the CM’s post.
What may have come with a sense of deja vu is like during the political campaign of 2013 when Kejriwal ousted the Congress government highlighting corruption scandals, particularly the CWG scam. This time, the anti-corruption crusader turned politician found himself embroiled in controversies as he was arrested along with his ministerial colleagues under corruption charges relating to the alleged liquor scam.
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What had also alienated Delhi’s middle class was Kejriwal’s focus on the poor and slums, but the urban areas faced neglect. The BJP worked on these two communities through its outreach among the slums and its strong message to the middle class through a slew of social welfare promises. What came as a big game changer was the budget announcement of no tax for income up to Rs 12 lakhs. Coming close to the polling date, the voters carried the feel-good factor to the EVMs.
The victory in Delhi is a big win for the BJP, like its stunning achievements in Haryana, Odisha and Maharashtra.
The Delhi victory stands out on many counts. The debate about freebies has finally been buried. PM Modi had charged Kejriwal for distributing ‘revedies’. But closer to the polls, the BJP too joined the freebie bandwagon as it promised Rs 2,500 for women along with several other promises.
Going ahead means that freebies and cash sops are here to stay and are now intrinsic to winning elections.
Arvind Kejriwal said, “We will not only play the role of a constructive opposition but also continue serving society.”
“Whatever decision the people have made, we humbly accept it. The people's verdict is paramount. I wholeheartedly congratulate the Bharatiya Janata Party on this victory. I hope that they fulfil all the expectations and aspirations with which people have given them this mandate."
