BJP 3/3

The BJP,which won the municipal polls in 2007,has now become only the second party,after the Congress in 1962,to have been voted back to power in Delhi’s civic elections.

The victory was despite the fact that the BJP’s share in the 272 seat-strong civic administrative body dropped from 167 seats last election to 138 now,and the Congress improved its tally from 65 seats to 78.

The BJP managed to retain its strongholds in the city’s urban pockets and its losses were distributed evenly across the three municipalities,minimising the overall impact of the loss of seats.

In the South Corporation,Independents and fringe players skewed the city’s otherwise two-way poll contest between the Congress and the BJP,reducing the BJP’s seat share here by a third to return a hung house.

The BJP fell nine seats short of a clear majority here,with party sources saying they had begun talks with Independents to form the House with their support.

BJP’s Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V K Malhotra said the vote was for his party’s good work and for the Congress’s failure,but its state chief Vijender Gupta was more scathing in his remarks against Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

Gupta said people have got back at the Congress for scandals both at the state and national level,mainly those linked to the Commonwealth Games and the 2G spectrum allocation.

“It must be noted that the Congress lost even in its strongholds like East Delhi,which the Chief Minister’s son Sandeep Dikshit and two Delhi Cabinet ministers represent. Dikshit’s government promised development,but people have seen through their corrupt ways,” Gupta said.

The drubbing appeared to have split the state Congress,turning the spotlight for the poor showing on Sheila Dikshit whose performance as Chief Minister over the last 14 years was the party’s main poll plank.

Dikshit also pushed through the historic division of the MCD into three municipalities earlier this year,amidst protests by her party colleagues who said the split could affect the party’s poll prospects.

Congress’s Leader of Opposition in the outgoing MCD,Jai Kishan Sharma,who lost the election this time,said people have voted against Dikshit’s decision to divide the civic body.

“I had protested against the decision vehemently trying to make her understand,but she had insisted. We had also protested against some candidates the Chief Minister had given tickets to,and all of them have lost,” Sharma told Newsline.

Dikshit was unreachable for comments while Congress state chief J P Agarwal,who also had complained to party seniors that splitting the MCD would harm the party politically,refused to comment when Newsline contacted him.

Congress MP from East Delhi and Sheila Dikshit’s son Sandeep came on TV,blaming the loss on the disconnect between the Congress and the people and the BJP’s success in taking advantage of alleged scandals.

He also said the CAG reports (on the Commonwealth Games) and the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare made an environment that made people believe the Congress was the “centre of all the wrong” that was happening.