The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) may come back to power in the ensuing Delhi Assembly elections, according to a Delhi poll tracker. If elections are held today, AAP will win 59 seats, while the BJP which is a distant second would get just eight seats. Arvind Kejriwal had appealed to voters of Delhi to vote for the AAP if they are convinced that the party had done work in the last five years. The party had undertaken various developmental works done like providing free water, no hike in school fees, cheaper electricity. The Delhi CM believes that all these aspects are enough for AAP to retain power in Delhi. If Kejriwal’s development plank works, AAP will be re-elected for the second time despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity among core BJP voters.
When we spoke to Ruben Mascarenhas, national joint secretary of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) about the party’s chances of retaining power in Delhi he said, “Absolutely, if you see the recent CAG reports, it says that not only we have performed well but we are actually the only state that has posted profit of Rs 3000 odd cores. For the first time in a state history we introduced free transport for the women folk. This has not only increased the participation but also has given economic freedom.”
When AV asked him that BJP and Congress have not announced their Chief Ministerial candidate but AAP has projected Kejriwal again for CM’s post he said, “We asked right now the Delhi Government is working on top speed. And it is only sensible to let Kejriwal continue to take the scale of Delhi government to more heights. BJP doesn’t have a vision for India and especially for Delhi because it is very evident by their work. On the other hand, the Congress party has lost its foothold in Delhi. We are in direct competition with BJP.”
The Congress is predicted to get three seats in the Delhi assembly elections. However, if one focuses on seat projection, the AAP may get as much as 60 seats. The projection range for the BJP, which is going all out to come back to power in Delhi after nearly two decades, is between three and 13 seats. On one hand, AAP has Arvind Kejriwal as Chief Ministerial candidate on the other hand BJP still is facing leadership crisis in Delhi, they don’t have proper face to project as CM candidate. Gone are the days when people can vote in the name of Modi. The Congress too doesn’t have a Chief Ministerial face. BJP relies on the swing in Purvanchali vote division among Punjabis and steadfast hold on upper caste-baniya combine. The Congress banks on slum voters and Muslim voters.
Delhi voters gave its vote to Modi for the power in the Centre but when it comes to Delhi, they are very much happy with the present government. Meanwhile, chances for the Congress to score a duck cannot be wished away. The seat projection for the grand old party in the national capital is between zero and six seats. AAP is likely to perform best in the outer Delhi area where it is likely to score a perfect 26. It is projected to get 17 seats in central Delhi area and 16 seats in the trans Delhi zone. The 70-member Delhi Assembly will go to the polls on February 8. The results will be declared on February 11.
Under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, AAP had swept the Delhi Assembly polls by winning 67 out 70 seats while the remaining three seats went to the BJP in 2015. The Congress which had headed three successive governments under Chief Minister Sheila Dixit failed to make any impact in polls.
