AAP plans to tweak MCD poll campaign, use BJP’s push for unification to its advantage

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The State Election Commission (SEC) had deferred the announcement of municipal polls last week, hours after it called a press conference stating that the elections would be held in April 2022. This came after a communication from the Centre on the unification of the civic bodies. The Centre will have to make an amendment to the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act to unify the three municipalities — South, North and East MCDs – which it is likely to take up in the upcoming budget session of Parliament, according to a senior BJP leader said.

AAP’s MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak said most voters don’t care about the structure of the MCDs, whether it is unified or trifurcated, and that services such as sanitation, health and education are more pressing issues for them. “We have been able to convince the public that there is a need for the Kejriwal model of governance in the civic bodies as well, where education and health is in good shape and sanitation would be improved – if people give the party a chance.”

“They (the BJP) keep saying that the MCDs do not have funds while we at the Delhi government have a budget surplus despite giving services such electricity and water for free. So, we are confident of convincing the people that same model can be used in the MCDs also,” he said.

Pathak said that the party will also spread the message that “the BJP only carries out development work to woo voters during elections and is not serious about the welfare of people”.

Before the 2017 MCD polls, the BJP had changed all councillors which helped it tide past anti-incumbency. The party had swept the elections, winning 181 of 270 seats where polling took place.

Leader of opposition in the South MCD Prem Kumar said, “We are ready for elections whenever they are held, irrespective of unification or if it is divided into five parts.”

“We are going door to door and telling people that it is corruption which is stopping the progress of the corporations, and this will not change unless there are changes in functioning. The simple message that we are taking on the ground is that corruption is the root cause of evil in the MCDs, not the structure,” he added.

The BJP, however, hit back saying that the unification push is for reform in the functioning of the MCDs and not for electoral gains. Party spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said “the whole of Delhi has seen how the AAP government stopped funds, which lead to salaries being delayed. We want to bring in a system where whichever government is in power in the state or civic body, they do not obstruct the working of others”.