The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has ended the Bharatiya Janata Party’s 15-year term at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), winning 134 of the 250 seats. In the interim, Delhi was divided under three Municipal Councils and later merged again. There were multiple factors that worked in the favour of AAP, and against the BJP, which won only 104 seats. City residents were dissatisfied with the BJP over its inability to manage civic services efficiently, while AAP built a reputation of maintaining quality social infrastructure. Voter turnout barely crossed 50% overall; it was around 40% in upscale wards and even higher in unauthorised colonies that lacked civic infrastructure. The mounting problem of solid waste in the capital city’s three landfills, in Okhla, Bhalswa and Ghazipur, was a major poll issue raised by AAP, in turn putting the BJP on the defensive. Commissioned more than two decades ago, the landfills contain 203 lakh tonnes of legacy waste, having crossed their permissible height of 25 metres over a decade ago. Fresh waste continues to be dumped. AAP also managed to put the BJP in the dock over the poor financial health of the civic body. AAP’s electoral victory in Delhi, and its new-found status as a national party after its performance in the Gujarat Assembly elections, are a big boost for the party.
The BJP claimed victory even in defeat citing the increase in its vote share, from 36% five years ago to 39% now. The recent delimitation of municipal wards, which saw the total number of seats being reduced from 272 to 250, happened in a manner that helped the BJP. The party saw its leaders from the Centre and other States campaigning in the MCD elections, and central agencies initiating a slew of corruption investigations against AAP’s leaders. The BJP believes that though it lost to AAP, the campaign demolished AAP’s claims of being incorruptible. AAP’s silence on communal violence in the national capital, and protests on issues such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act led to the desertion of Muslims from the party, and their shifting to the Congress. Councillors are not bound by any anti-defection law. AAP has no binding ideology, and keeping its current strength intact could be a challenge. The BJP should now resist the temptation of seizing power and adhere to its stand that it will now pay the role of a constructive opposition. Both parties, and their governments at the Centre and in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, should support the new MCD in delivering the goods on improvements that Delhi sorely needs.
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