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BJP edges ahead as Delhi goes to polls

As Delhi votes, BJP eyes an edge over AAP and Congress amid fierce battles, voter outreach, and economic promises

New Delhi: As Delhi goes to the polls on Wednesday, the BJP appears to have an edge over its rivals -- the AAP and the Congress. AAP heavyweights ranging from party supremo Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister Atishi and former deputy CM Manish Sisodia are reportedly facing stiff competition in their constituencies. A total of 699 candidates are in the fray for 70 Assembly seats.

As the polls approached, both key contesting outfits got into the game of luring voters with freebies and sops. The incumbent AAP was the first to announce Rs 1,000 for every woman, which they claimed would be raised to Rs 2,100 after the polls. To counter the AAP, the BJP and the Congress too came up with each offering Rs 2,500. It's another story that these welfare measures would burden the exchequer immensely.

For Rs 1,000 allowance for women, the burden on the exchequer will be about Rs 4,560 crores. For Rs 2,100, the outgo will be about Rs 9,500 crores and for Rs 2,500 it will be a staggering Rs 11,400 crores. Of the Rs 88,200-crore Delhi Budget, there is only Rs 16,404 crores under non-Plan funds. After a long hiatus, the BJP, which claims to have seen a light at the end of the tunnel, launched an aggressive campaign to blend development, corruption and religion. To make inroads, the BJP launched an aggressive foray into the AAP’s core vote bank -- the JJ clusters comprising 10 per cent of total votes. The BJP is also expecting to benefit from the slew of tax reliefs for the middle class prescribed in the Union Budget.

The BJP has also dangled the carrot of “Jaha jhuggi wahi makan” promise to lure voters in slum clusters. The BJP has promised to give ownership rights to residents of 1,700 unauthorised colonies. The move could have an impact in at least 41 constituencies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself sought to allay the apprehensions of the unauthorized colonies’ residents saying that “none of such structures will be demolished”. The BJP also organised “Ratri Pravas” (night stays) on every Sunday at JJ clusters across the city as part of its outreach programme. The BJP has also been working to consolidate its core vote bank – the Vaish-Punjabi and Brahman communities, which form the party’s core bases. The saffron brigade also zeroed in on Sikhs, who have have been favouring the AAP for the past decade. The Sikhs have a dominating presence in several seats.

While the AAP focused on its development projects in the last two terms, it was also banking on the considerable chunk of Muslims voters, comprising nearly 12 per cent of voters. But Mr Kejriwal’s attempt to target the BJP by accusing the Haryana government of "poisoning" the Yamuna river seems to have backfired, especially in the Outer Delhi region, comprising a significant 21 constituencies. The fight between AAP, BJP and Congress is also over Dalits, OBCs and Muslims, which account for 17, 20 and 12 per cent of the vote share respectively. The Congress, which had failed to open its account during the last Assembly polls, is expecting to win at least five seats. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Prianka Gandhi Vadra led the charge for the party.

However, the Congress seemed to be lagging behind the race also due to the division in the INDIA bloc. Both the Samajwadi Party and Trinamul Congress have backed the AAP. However, the Congress, which has fielded some of its top leaders, including Devender Yadav, Sandeep Dikshit and Alka Lamba, was expecting them to pull their weight.

The AAP may also be in trouble as votes gained by the Congress would damage Mr Kejriwal's prospect to return to power. As Delhi goes to the polls, all eyes will also be on the rural constituencies called “Delhi Dehat”. A majority of Delhi Dehat voters were upset with both the AAP and the Congress for ignoring the core issue of what they call “Kuan Pujan" (worshipping of wells). The villagers were not able to worship wells as most of them had dried up. The Delhi Dehat, which comprises 360 villages, has also been complaining about lack of amenities ranging from clean water, electricity, healthcare to quality education. A significant chunk of "Delhi Dehat" has declared their support for the BJP. As for poll statistics -- nearly 1.56 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots at 13,766 polling stations. Among them, 83.76 lakh are men, 72.36 lakh are women, and 1,267 are third-gender voters. To ensure accessibility, 733 polling stations have been designated for persons with disabilities.

The Election Commission has also introduced the Queue Management System (QMS) app, allowing voters to monitor crowd levels in real-time at polling stations. In a significant move, 6,980 out of 7,553 eligible voters under the home voting facility for senior citizens and persons with disabilities have already cast their ballots.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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