TAKEAWAYS FROM DELHI
MODI KI GUARANTEE WINS
The BJP did not put up a CM face in the Delhi elections but fought on the PM’s image and delivery record. However if you ask me if this was a win for the Modi Model, there is an interesting twist in the answer. For if you look at the BJP’s manifesto and promises, a large chunk of this was taken from the Aam Aadmi Party’s manifesto. The PM made it a point to tell the voter that if the BJP was voted to power it would continue with the free electricity, water and other subsidies. In other words (mine, not his), the BJP would continue with the Kejriwal Model. So, in a bizarre twist, the Delhi voters have voted in favour of the Kejriwal Model but with the added safety net of Modi ki Guarantee—for the double engine harmony with a BJP CM in Delhi and the Lt Governor at the Centre, who toes the BJP line. That way, the people of Delhi are ensured of a wrangle-free governance model, and one that hopefully will deliver. At least, it will have no excuses not to deliver.
But it was not just clever posturing. The BJP on ground has been at work for months, to deliver this win. Party workers, along with the RSS have been holding door to door meetings, with Home Minister Amit Shah taking a personal interest in the campaign. The Delhi in-charge, Baijayant Panda was aided by 27 party leaders such as Dharmendra Pradhan and Anurag Thakur, who were given specific constituencies to nurture. And of course as the final touch, it was the PM who spoke directly to the people of Delhi. It is a combination of all of the above that has ensured that after 1998, a BJP government is finally back in the capital.
What next for Arvind Kejriwal?
The Aam Aadmi Party leader faces an existential crisis after the Delhi defeat because it was the capital that was his karambhoomi. He has not just lost Delhi that gave him such decisive mandates in the past but also his carefully nurtured image of being an anti-corruption crusader, for it seems that some of the BJP’s allegations of a sheesh-mahal have struck with the voters. True the AAP is still in power in Punjab but Kejriwal will have to do some heavy lifting and on-ground management, for there is a strong discontent against the current CM. He has time to make that turnaround. The BJP will also not cease its offensive against Kejriwal, so expect his legal troubles to mount. That is one way of keeping him busy. But it also knows that it cannot push Kejriwal too far, for the AAP leader knows well how to play the victim card and push the narrative. Hence, knowing Kejriwal, one cannot write him off, but instead watch his next moves as he tries to fashion a comeback. For that, he needs to retain Punjab and also look to some other (small) state that is coming up for polls and is ripe for the picking. He does have the support of other I.N.D.I.A bloc partners (apart from the Congress), who will try and maintain his relevance because they need Kejriwal to mount an offensive against the BJP. He knows how to craft narratives and is an articulate communicator. Perhaps the I.N.D.I.A bloc can use his skills one way or the other. So, watch this space.
Deja Vu for the Congress
One hardly knows what to write that hasn’t been written before for the Congress. Clearly, the Congress has added to the AAP’s misfortunes more than helping the latter by dividing the anti-AAP vote. The Congress will need to introspect, try and identify a credible local leadership and fill any vacuum that has been left by the AAP in Delhi. Party workers have already begun looking for a scapegoat on whom to pin the blame, with some in the social media singling out Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal. That apart, the Congress will be facing heat from its I.N.D.I.A bloc allies. J&K CM Omar Abdullah was the first to tweet about the divisions within the opposition that led to AAP’s defeat. Others will follow.