Elections in Delhi this month, are marking the end of yet another adventure season in the capital. As the capital city of an aspiring nation, committed to excelling among the comity of nations, the city has a lot of ‘ground’ to cover. Not to mention the ‘air’ around it, as well. What indeed has been the performance, how we have miles to go, yet, and so difficult that it gets with every passing year, with every election.
Apathy on the road
As an average citizen, most can see that life is getting harder to negotiate. Travelling at any time of the day is becoming impossible. If the last time you took 30 minutes from point A to point B, it will now take 40 minutes. Lane driving is considered insane driving, why sweat out in a long queue when you can make one on your own – so, we have often four to five lanes at every other crossing, with scant regard to where you are headed – straight, left or right – we will swing around when it turns green. Don’t mind the potholes you will encounter, on seemingly recently tarred ones, it’s the size of traffic and the un-mindfulness of every other commuter, brazen, could not care less, doing their own – two wheelers flying on pedestrian pavements, that too, on the wrong side; endless honking, as if that will decide the rules of the game, who honks the most, has the first right of passage; dark spots every few yards on dimly lit roads, making life scary for all walks of life. One can park at will, no one bothers. Even in front of homes blocking others’ driveway. Often, the plight of parked cars is within a few steps from police stations – have we come to accept this as the emerging and acceptable normal? Forget improvements, accept that this is the way we are going, only downhill. Not surprising, no political party has promised any solutions to traffic, encroachments, better lighting along roads, pedestrian management.
What one gathers, there is NO attempt to educate on how to drive, make things easier for others and for yourself; there are no markers at crossings, scant attempt to loosen up difficult spots. The problem may well be that the decision makers are seldom behind the wheel, themselves. They have drivers, who believe they are driving the ‘bosses’ in the city, and give little regard to rules, as their cars also carry the warning ‘on government duty’. Nobody is fined. CCTV cameras are often seen on highways, to challan over-speedsters, but none exist in the capital, as far as one can tell. Start with the corridors in Connaught Place, where two wheelers of quick delivery platforms give every other walker a chase, and a chance to live. How little is understood the city’s exchequer can bloom, if challans can be registered for every offence. A recent newspaper report cited there were as many as 300 CCTV cameras in the city! Imagine, that is all that we have for th entire city, when this many may just be adequate for South Extension only.
Who rules Delhi, does anyone know?
We do know we have a multiplicity of authorities in the capital. There is the central government that looks after land, notably under DDA, and also MCD. It also looks after law and order – the police are under the centre. The elected state government does have areas but these are increasingly marginalised with active interventions from the LG, also a representative appointed directly by the centre. Unlike a governor in any full state, the LG does have active powers prescribed within the present constitution. Between the two, the elected government and the appointed LG, it is an endless see-saw game. And, in the last ten years, when the elected government came into power with a promise that they will undermine the centre’s power, challenge it, almost like a revolt, there have been constant run-ins between the two.
The then LG, Najeeb Jung, found it easy to oppose them, considering that he swore by the constitution, saying it was his Bible. So, while Jung swore by the book, Kejriwal took upon himself to oppose every rule book. Ten years hence, is he still as defiant as he was then? Kejriwal does no longer wear his then trademark muffler, his Wagon-R has gone, his simple government quarter has long been cast aside. He now wears an in-style jacket, drives a Toyota Fortuner, and lived in lavish bungalow, the likes of which would compare with what we see on Amrita Shergill Marg. ‘Lived’, I say, till he was sent behind bars for alleged money laundering and corruption. Merits of the case apart, the fact is that his image is certainly no longer clean, he is a suspect, for sure. He is out on bail, without powers to sign on government documents, effectively ruling him out to become the chief minister. Which is why his deputy, Atishi, is the incumbent chief minister. Does this take away some sheen from Kejriwal, that he is not the chief minister? He is no longer the same iconoclast, no longer the messiah, but how much is he compromised, only the electorate will tell on 8th February. What is clear, however, that the two Kejriwals, then and now, are two different people.
The fact is that none of the political parties have made this a part of their manifesto, at least a prominent part. That they will fight for removal of multiplicity. If not full statehood, make it a union territory under the full powers of an LG. But remove the multiplicity, it has not helped the city.
At the cost of governance
How much does it matter who rules in the Delhi assembly? If the rules of the game do not change, this bickering between the forces unleashed by any central government (BJP or any other) would endanger the governance levels. It is often mentioned that the Shiela Dikshit ruled state worked well with a BJP ruled centre under Atal ji. Yes, that is true, but those were different times. Mrs. Dikshit was never a Kejriwal, she was a proven figure in politics, coming from a well-established family in politics. Kejriwal was a no-body, came shining out of the Anna Hazare movement, had to make his mark. His claim to fame was to oppose the central government and all those in authority. His politics, bereft of opposing authority, becomes like everyone else. His trade mark goes. Can he change this pivotal positioning? It might well give him a new lease of political life. Closer to the election date, he has indeed embarked upon a new mission, working for the middle class. He is taking up issues like the central budget, assuming a higher call of priorities that otherwise fall within the ambit of the central government.
The moot point is, should the Delhi electorate become a victim of this political game? Is the average voter even interested in who is the chief minister, so long as he lives in a well governed city? Should Delhi remain subjugated to such battles where only egos are being traded? Or for that matter, looking around the country, simply on the basis of performances, how much does any political party make the difference in providing basic governance? Aren’t they all much the same? Of course, there are exceptions, only to prove the rule.
Is it time for the people of Delhi to say that battle lines must be put to rest, it is time for both governments (state and centre) to work together, to put the interests of the people first, declare governance first as the priority, to find solutions on the ground and in the air, to stop this blame game that does not benefit the city?
It is for the party aspiring to power that should say they will aspire to work to improve the lot of the people, which cannot become a reality, without working together with the centre. Both LG and the CM must work in tandem! Delhi needs to break away from this hostility! In our federal setup, you may choose to oppose the BJP but can you oppose the central government?
Furthermore, if the present system will remain as it is, with the BJP in power at the centre, with no sign yet of giving way to any other party, would it be wiser to align the city-state with the central government? Then, a vote for BJP would be a vote for stability.
Do we need a CM face?
How relevant is this? In recent months, the BJP went into election mode around the country, in states like Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Goa and even in J&K, without any apparent CM face. And after winning, they declared a relatively lesser-known personality to find his paces, as he walked his new assignment. The Congress, too does not have a face, so to say, though Sandeep Dikhsit could well fill this space, while AAP may have a leader but not necessarily the CM face, if he cannot sign government files. It is ultimately the party that counts, not necessarily a face. If the BJP wins, you are most likely to get an untested face as CM. If the AAP wins, it could mean a continuation for Atishi. And should the Congress win, which is most unlikely, while there is a dearth of choices, it could mean Sandeep Dikshit.
Dikshit is a promising figure, with a rich background of both family and experience. He also has an enviable track record of serving East Delhi with monumental projects. He should have been groomed long before, as the face of the Congress in the capital. But then it is often suggested that the Congress may not be too serious in trying to win, not sure if their efforts will only cut into AAP votes, and thereby give the BJP the winning chance.
For the CM face, the BJP has many choices, not a clear choice. Expect a surprise, as only the BJP can manage. Whoever it is, backed by the party’s top leaders, he/she gets everybody’s support, instantly. This cohesiveness gives the party the heft, the power to choose, and bring in a set of young leaders, which it has been missing in the past.
Is the Congress a dark horse?
The slog overs are the best? Rahul’s padyatras, how much will they matter? Has the Congress deliberately delayed its campaign, leaving it to the last few weeks for optimum impact? As the voting is in single phase, with all central leaders in town, as it were, it could be a strategy that works best. By themselves, they are unlikely to form a government. But if the Congress can muster 10 plus seats, it might mean the other two don’t get a majority on their own. Given that it is only 70 seats, the Congress can then have a say, indeed.
That the Congress will do better than the last time, is most likely. They would open their account. If they take their campaign seriously, they can muster enough seats to topple the AAP cart. As a senior BJP leader shared recently, the BJP moved forward from 32% to 40% vote share in the last elections. But then the Congress slumped to a mere 4%, thereby giving AAP the edge.
What are other parties like BSP doing?
Owaisi and Mayawati are there to muddy the waters. To see how much they can split votes that may have come to other parties. With literally no presence elsewhere, the BSP has declared candidates for all the 70 seats. At best, they will eat into either the Congress or the AAP, giving BJP an advantage.
Dhole Bajao ‘Doles’ Ki!
Meanwhile, it is raining freebies. The more the merrier. What was started by AAP ten years ago has caught the imagination of all parties, national as well as regional. Never mind the cost of such freebies to any structured welfare program. The AAP, BJP, Congress offer Cash Transfers, are chasing ‘Women Power’ In Delhi Polls. The results of some of the recent polls – as in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh in particular, in each of which the BJP scored dominant wins on the back of women-centric welfare schemes and financial freebies – underscores the importance of women voters to winning elections.
Close to 46 per cent – around 71 lakh – of Delhi’s registered voters are women, with more signing up daily. AAP said it would give women Rs 2,100 every month, after which the BJP and Congress upped it to Rs 2,500. All three have also made other promises, from cash assistance to pregnant women and free travel for women in state-run buses. AAP has also said they will expand the flagship ‘free travel for women (in state-run buses)’ scheme to include female students and the promise of a 50 per cent concession on Metro fares. The Congress, not to be left behind, said it would transfer Rs 2,500 per month to women, in addition to ensuring a ‘ration kit’ – with rice, sugar, cooking oil, grains, and tea leaves – to be provided to women every month to offset the rising prices. In the 2023 Karnataka Assembly election, the Congress had doled Rs 2,000-a-month ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ scheme believed to helping it win that poll. BJP had successfully rolled out the Ladli Behen scheme in Madhya Pradesh.
BJP ‘s JP Nadda, has promised pregnant women a one-time payment of Rs 21,000 in addition Rs 5,000 for the first child and Rs 6,000 for the second. He also announced a scheme that will pay women Rs 2,500 per month.
There are other doles, too. Like free electricity and free water. There has been the promise of free health checks, free pilgrimages for senior citizens, leaving them with everything free, including the freedom to vote.
How much will these impact remains to be seen, especially when the principal parties offer almost much the same, has the newness worn out? Will these doles neutralise each other, with other factors coming into play. What will be these other factors?
Can the BJP, for instance, promise if they come to power in Delhi, the first thing they will do is to ask the centre to either give the state full statehood, or to resolve the contradictions in the management of the city-state? There have been many suggestions in the past, like creation of the VIP zone around Lutyen’s Delhi, the part where the so-called centre exists prominently, leaving the rest to a full statehood, including law and order.
Who will introduce greater accountability of public schemes? Like the colossal wastage of resources on e-bikes with stands around numerous sections, all gone to seed. The bikes have gone(?), only the charging stations remain, mostly abandoned. What about the millions spent on streetscaping – only at a few places we find the end result standing tall, mostly all have withered away. There is no place in south Delhi where you can walk a few kilometres, without an obstruction. The pavements are uneven, disappear without a notice, in places there is wanton encroachments by the residents, even on main central roads. The many potted plants have disappeared, even the pavements are barely visible.
Who will ensure the rule of law? Who will increase the strength of the police force, a subject that falls presently with the centre. What will make an average citizen respect an average cop? What will make an average citizen respect the rule of law? Who will give us an administration that is sensitive to the common man’s needs – not just in the quality of air we breathe, but to enjoy a feeling of safety and comfort.