Editorial

Delhi Elections: Changing Equations in the Battle for Capital

By The Editor

AAP must have been blaming their stars; two former colleagues had gone to the opposition party. They may try to make light of the affair but they know that old monsters have come out of closet. BJP have played two important trump cards, Shaziya knows AAP inside out and Kiran have always been at swords with Arvind Kejriwal. BJP knew Satish Upadhyay will not stand out against Arvind Kejriwal in popularity contest, so they took a very strategic step and brought the fight at whole another level. This will have an impact on elections up to a certain extent in snatching AAP votes that might make or break the game for the broom brand.

 AAP is fighting on its home turf, their victory or loss will resonate at a national level for their future as a political party.  Besides Arvind, their is hardly anyone who can attract vote and the runaway bride title that has become synonymous with him can cost him dearly this time. They should be well prepared to sit in opposition and ready to work in streets to consolidate their position for future fights. Even if they win the election they have to contend with a central government who would be less than willing to lend ears to them and this possible stalemate can also factor into the election results.

 Coming to the Bedi and Ilmi question. Both at one point or another in the past showed no restrain in their feeling towards BJP. Well Shaziya Ilmi might be simply in a campaign mode but Kiran Bedi is giving an impression of a promising chief minister candidate. She already told what it would be like under her administration if and when she comes to power but there are two important questions here that will affect the equation. First, after the election dusts settles the political bickering will begin to get to the top, the BJP Delhi leadership that waited so long for their “Achee din” would not easily give up the reign to Kiran Bedi. Popular they may not be but not any less shrewd players of politics. If Kiran Bedi has dreams about the CM post she has to get along with lot of BJP Delhi party bosses and secondly, the question of getting along.

 Bedi is not one of those whom BJP can put a lid on, she is too free spirited for BJP or for that matter any Political Party including AAP. You can take IAS, IPS out of office but you cannot take office out of any IAS or IPS. These people have a habit to a fault of giving orders if speaking in a lay man terms and this is not casting any doubts on Kiran Bedi’s ability as an administrator. She has a huge public service experience to back it up but her independent nature sooner or later can have odds with party leadership and her peers in Delhi BJP.

 But whatever anyone says this will be a very interesting election of 2015 because lots of people have a lot on the line for their political future and above all the people of Delhi who would go to polls on 7th February.

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