‘Polls now will give fractured verdict again’

Echoing the party’s stand that the BJP’s lacklustre performance in the by elections was a result of voters’ rejection of communal politics, she admitted there was a dire need for her party to reinvent itself in Delhi before elections.

Dikshit said while street protests were important, the need of the hour was to repair ties with people that led to the defeat. “Local units must be reestablished within the party. The politics must rise beyond demonstrations and work to get in touch with the people and their problems,” she said.

Dikshit, who has been in touch with the leadership in the Delhi Congress, said she has been stressing this upon not just Congress MLAs, but also former Congress MLAs and leaders, who had been associated with their respective seats for decades. “Some have been MLAs in their constituencies for 50 years, some for 20 years – they need to speak to their people and reconnect with them,” she said.

But while speaking of the need to reinvent the party, she shot down the proposal of an age limit for politicians. “It shouldn’t be a question of age, but one of productivity and utility. There has been no generation without a generation gap. It’s a natural process.”

Speaking about her defeat in the Assembly elections last year, Dikshit said while price rise was an issue, there was definitely an element of ‘fatigue’.

“Price rise was a factor. As were the allegations of corruption against me, even though there was no proof to back it up. But I had also sensed that there was fatigue among the people. Fifteen years is a long time, people wanted change,” she said.