BJP sweeps Delhi MC polls
SAFFRON SWAY Party beats incumbency to deal blow to Kejriwal’s AAP; resignations flood Congress
The BJP retained power in the city’s three municipalities for a third consecutive term on Wednesday, in what was an overwhelming rejection of the Aam Aadmi Party just two years after it won a brute majority in the Delhi assembly elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity as well as a decision to drop most of its sitting councillors helped the BJP buck anti-incumbency and tighten its grip over the civic bodies it first won 10 years ago.
The elections carry wider national ramifications. An emphatic victory only adds to the BJP’s image of invincibility and leaves a divided Opposition further demoralised in the run-up to the national polls in 2019.
But the setback was the worst for AAP chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
With the verdict seen as a referendum on his government, the polls were a matter of prestige for him. The defeat called into question his ability to win elections after the AAP’s loss in Goa and Punjab polls last month.
A split in the opposition votes helped the BJP, which saw a marginal drop in vote share over 2012. The combined share of the AAP (26.21%) and Congress (21.09%) was more than that of the BJP’s (36.08%).
The AAP also failed to hold on to its supporters among Purvanchalis and minorities.
For the BJP the victory was sweet revenge for its loss to the AAP in 2015 Delhi polls when the latter won 67 of 70 seats.
“Modi charisma helped the BJP to beat anti-incumbency. The triangular contest proved crucial in the victory margin… In a triangular contest, any party that gets over 36% emerges victorious,” said Sanjay Kumar of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.
The Congress ended up third in the civic polls but made a sizeable gain in its vote share compared to its performance in the 2015 assembly elections.
NEW DELHI: Women candidates have emerged to be the face savers for the Congress in this year’s municipal elections.
As much as 56% of the Congress’ total winners were women, whereas, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that came second by winning 48 wards, had the lowest women victors. This is despite the fact that AAP had harped a lot about fielding the maximum number of women candidates in the civic polls.
AAP gave tickets to 145 women, Congress had offered to 144 and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to 140. Out of the 272 wards in Delhi, 138 are reserved for women including those from the Scheduled Caste.
Out of 181 seats that it won, the BJP will have women councillors from 80 wards. The party will have 38 women councillors in East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) — the highest representation among the three civic bodies. EDMC is the smallest MCD in Delhi, but also faces the biggest challenge of sanitation in its area and financial crisis within the body.
For Congress’ candidate from Daryaganj, Yasmin Kidwai, her journey to victory was a cliffhanger. After leading the initial rounds, BJP’s Meeta Bhambhry lost as the observers called for recounting of votes.
“I am overwhelmed by the support of the people. I have an action plan ready for my ward and shall begin work right away,” she said. Darya Ganj has been a stronghold of Congress for many years. Kidwai comes from a family of politicians. Her grandmother is Tajdar Babar, a former MLA and a grand old dame of the Delhi Congress. Her uncle Farhad Suri is also a senior Congress leader and is the Leader of Opposition in the South Delhi Municipal Corporation. Among the BJP’s winners, Veena Virmani from Ramesh Nagar ward in North Delhi won by a margin of 7,872 votes. She defeated AAP’s Bindia who got 6,215 votes.
Wife of senior BJP leader Gulshan Virmani, who is now additional PS to Union minister of science and technology Harsh Vardhan, Virmani said she is going to be vocal about sanitation issues in her area.
AS MUCH AS 56% OF THE CONGRESS’ TOTAL WINNERS WERE WOMEN, WHEREAS, THE AAM AADMI PARTY (AAP) THAT CAME SECOND BY WINNING 48 WARDS, HAD THE LOWEST WOMEN VICTORS.