Delhi Election 2020

Article No. 41
15/February/2020

Rise of AAP in 2013 was warning signal to the political system in India. It raised by defeating congress, which make a clear path for BJP to win the national election. After than AAP won in three consecutive terms, but it will not make any impact on national politics. The need of the hour is not just limited in a state, but it need nationwide impact to make necessary change in Indian politics. Where ever congress defeated, BJP directly or indirectly wins the battle. There is no political party in the country to take on BJP other than Congress, but congress is not in good shape and at bad time.

Legislative Assembly elections were held in Delhi on 8 February 2020 to elect 70 members of the Delhi Legislative Assembly. Voters turnout was recorded at 62.59%, a decline of 4.88% from the previous assembly election in Delhi but 2% more than the 2019 Indian general election in Delhi. The term of the current assembly elected in 2015 will expire on 22 February 2020. The Aam Aadmi Party, led by Arvind Kejriwal won 62 seats to claim an absolute majority in the elections.

Election 2020

Voters overwhelmingly backed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in an election which pitted them against India's governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It's a setback for the BJP after last year's general election landslide. The party won five more seats in Delhi but still holds just eight out of 70. The AAP won all the rest. "This is a win for Mother India," a grinning Mr Kejriwal told his supporters at the AAP office earlier in the day. He waved and blew them kisses, and said he "loved the people of Delhi".

The BJP's campaign saw heavyweights such as Home Minister Amit Shah take to the Delhi streets to woo voters but that appears to have had little impact on the outcome. The party relied on its Hindu nationalist rhetoric, criticising a peaceful gathering of thousands in Shaheen Bagh - a largely Muslim neighbourhood in Delhi - which has been protesting against India's controversial new citizenship law, known as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Many Indians say the law discriminates against Muslims.

Kejriwal, the leader

The 51-year-old former bureaucrat rose to political fame as an anti-corruption campaigner. He first became chief minister in 2013 and was then re-elected in 2015 with a landslide. He has been credited with turning around Delhi's government-run schools, establishing affordable neighbourhood clinics and providing cheap water and electricity. He has also consistently campaigned for greater autonomy for the state, as control of its police force and land still rest with the federal government.

"It's not just my win. This is a win for every family whose children are now getting good education in school, whose family members are getting good treatment in hospitals," he said. Mr Kejriwal led a victory parade from the AAP office to the Hanuman temple in the city centre, after saying his party's victory was a blessing from Hanuman, the monkey god. Celebrations were held outside the AAP office where party workers told BBC Hindi the win vindicates their decision to campaign hard on "governance and development", and refrain from "divisive politics".

Freebies hijacks Election

With the AAP leaders and workers basking in the glory of capturing Delhi for a third time in a row, the party insiders as well as its detractors  attributed the party's stunning poll victory to a slew of schemes involving freebies to Delhiites. "Free electricity up to 200 units of power and almost next to nil charges over that, free rides for women in public transport buses, up to 20,000 litres of free water per month and free pilgrimage for senior citizens have paid us after all," confessed a party worker, heaving a sigh of relief over the electoral results.

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij too in Chandigarh described the AAP win in the Delhi Assembly polls as a victory of freebies. The BJP leader made the assertion on Twitter as trends indicated that the AAP would sweep the Delhi polls. "Delhi ke chunaav mein muddhay haar gai, muftkhori jeet gai (in the Delhi elections, issues lost, freebies won)," he wrote on his Twitter handle.

The AAP dispensation had last October launched free rides for women in public transport buses on Bhai Dooj, asserting that it would empower women and ensure their safety in the national capital. The move was considered as a political step seeking support of women living in the national capital, said an upbeat AAP leader, adding the party was sure that it would benefit the party in the assembly elections.

Freebies = Short term political gain + long term structural loss to state

Nothing in this world can be generated freely, therefore someone has to pay for it directly or indirectly. Freebies happen due to betrayal or snatching away someone’s efforts. Everything this world has a value or worth. It need to be paid, otherwise meaning and purpose will be fulfilled. Political parties need to be desist from offering free power and supplies of food grains like wheat and rice at extremely subsidised prices as these promises are likely to become detrimental to growth of the country.

Likewise, instead of promising delivery of extremely subsidised wheat and rice to the poor through public distribution system, the political parties should concentrate announcing measures for avoiding deaths out of hunger to protect the vulnerable sections of society. Experience has shown in the past that whosoever political parties promised free power and hugely subsidised wheat and rice to poorer sections ultimately landed in problems as it is difficult to keep such promises.  The State Electricity Boards and Food Department have suffered heavily as their losses mounted on account of free power and delivery of subsidized rice and wheat. Infrastructure and maintenance will be halted due to freebies in each sectors and firms.

It was often misused by vested interest as the intended group never gained out of such populist measures which the government even withdrew gradually.  Therefore, sanity would call that political parties should not unnecessarily resort to such promises as these eventually are erosion on government revenues and never benefit to those that it aims at.

By,

Nithin A F

Doing Post Graduation in Psychology

Thiruvanathapuram, Kerala.

Email : nithinaf@gmail.com

www.NithinAF.blogspot.com

15/February/2020