The decks have been cleared for a very interesting showdown in the national capital where the Bharatiya Janata Party, which had won all the seven seats in 2019, is pitted against the combined might of the Congress and the AAP. The Congress that was in power for 15 years, had made way for the AAP after the 2013 Assembly elections, but the two rivals shall be now in the fray to take on the might of the saffron brigade.
The Congress and the AAP have reached an electoral understanding in the city. While the AAP shall put up its nominees in New Delhi, South Delhi, West Delhi and East Delhi, the Congress shall contest from Chandni Chowk, North East Delhi and North West Delhi.
The BJP is likely to replace most of its candidates in the city and therefore the party could field some new faces. Actor Akshay Kumar also known as Rajiv Bhatia, who had grown up in the walled city, is tipped to be the nominee from Chandni Chowk in place of Dr Harsh Vardhan, former Union Health Minister. It is not known whether Dr Harsh Vardhan would be shifted to some other area or would be denied a ticket this time.
There is also speculation regarding Sushma Swaraj’s daughter, Bansuri being the BJP nominee from New Delhi in place of Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi. The name of Vandana Khurana, daughter-in-law of former Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana is also being mentioned in party circles.
The chances of Manoj Tewari, Hansraj Hans and Gautam Gambhir being repeated from the city are also very less, with the Central leadership looking towards newcomers. There is also a talk of Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, leader of opposition in the Delhi Assembly being considered for South Delhi in place of Ramesh Bidhuri, who was involved in an avoidable verbal duel with Danish Ali in the Lok Sabha during the Winter Session of Parliament. Former Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma’s son, Parvesh Verma, who represents West Delhi, is expected to be repeated.
The Congress-AAP alliance has ensured that the contest for the Lok Sabha would be keen and certainly not one-sided. The outcome would also depend on who all are the candidates of this combine since it would make a lot of difference. H.K.L. Bhagat, once the uncrowned king of Delhi, used to often say that the capital’s results reflect the thinking within the country. Delhi has always been mini-India and the way it votes, the pattern for the ruling party is very significant since it shows how the country has voted.
The important matter is how the AAP and the Congress pick their nominees. The AAP can field a high-profile name for the New Delhi seat which has a large number of government employees who have reasons to be disgruntled with a number of things concerning the functioning of their employer. Traditionally New Delhi has been a seat which has voted against the ruling party. Top Jana Sangh/BJP leaders, Balraj Madhok, Manohar Lal Sondhi, Atal Behari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani have won from there when the Congress was the dominant force.
However, the AAP has an air of unpredictability and therefore it would not be fair to spell out names who could contest on the Jhadu symbol. So far as the Congress is concerned, it should field tried and trusted candidates since the outcome would certainly impact its future so far as the capital goes.
In this context, there seem to be a divergence of opinion regarding the names doing the rounds. It is more or less clear that the DPCC president, Arvinder Singh Lovely, could be put up from North East Delhi, which has a large number of Muslim votes besides a strong base of the party. In Chandni Chowk, the Congress is in a dilemma on whether to field former DUSU president, Hari Shankar Gupta, known for his organizational abilities or Alka Lamba, the chief of the Mahila Congress, who is being backed by some of the seniors. Former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s son, Sandeep Dikshit is also lobbying very hard for this seat as is Jai Prakash Aggarwal for his son, Mudit. Shiv Bhatia, AICC secretary, is a dark horse from here.
For the North West (Reserved seat), the Congress is again in a state of confusion. Oldtimers favour the ticket for Raj Kumar Chauhan, former minister or Rajesh Lilothia, former MLA and president of Delhi Youth Congress. However, the AICC Delhi in-charge Deepak Babaria seems inclined towards Udit Raj, who had won on the BJP ticket from there in 2014 and later switched over to the Congress. The final decision would ultimately be of the Central Election Committee and the high command.
The elections to Delhi are very significant for the Congress that does not have a single member in the Assembly for a long time. It could be a comeback effort or could end up as the last battle to retain its foothold in the city. It is important to understand that though Sheila Dikshit remained CM for 15 years, she did nothing to strengthen the organization.
The BJP should also not take its victory for granted since it too has failed to return to power in Assembly polls in successive elections since 1998. It is only the Modi magic that has assisted it so far. The Delhi battle shall determine whether the saffron brigade can be vulnerable in the capital or the Congress-AAP shall prove to be hurdles. Between us.