Delhi elections: AAP’s paradigm of public governance triumphs
Live MintThe elections in Delhi witnessed one of the fiercest and acerbic state electoral competitions between the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party and its main challenger the Bharatiya Janata Party. AAP contested the elections on its public governance patronizing policies paradigm, while the BJP’s electoral discourse was a heady mix of national and local issues like construction of Ram temple, abrogation of Article 370, Citizenship Amendment Act and legalizing unauthorized colonies in the national capital region. The opinion polls conducted before the promulgation of CAA indicated that AAP was in a pole position, but the anti-CAA flashpoints in Delhi provided the BJP a political optic to stop Kejriwal’s juggernaut. The AAP broomed the Delhi elections by winning 63 out of 70 seats with six out of ten Delhi citizens reposing faith in the party. The main reasons for AAP winning a resounding victory despite a stiff opposition from the BJP include: one the humiliating defeat of AAP in 2019 General Elections was a turning point as it pulled its socks and went all out to complete its poll promises made in 2015 elections like upscaling of school infrastructure, opening Mohalla clinics, installation of CCTVs and free wifi for citizens.