Delhi poll results: So near, yet so far for the BJP
10 Dec 2013 11:55 PM GMT
The BJP was also not able to benefit from the frustrations of the large number of lower middle class and the not-so-poor, who migrated in significant numbers to the AAP.
Delhi has about 20 lakh persons staying in slums, not all of whom can be categorised as really poor since they pay Rs 1500-5000 as monthly rentals. The most important problems for the slum dwellers are the fear of being shifted to distant Bawana, inadequate size of accommodation, lack of access to water and to toilets.
A city to survive and grow must get rid of slums but not slum dwellers, without whose presence our services and support structures would collapse. The most viable option is in situ development of slums that would largely pay for itself. This would improve the quality of life of the slum dwellers by giving them upgraded accommodation with minimum facilities for dignified living. But these critical concerns and aspirations were not articulated by any party.
Instead the BJP talked about reducing electricity bills and of increasing the number of subsidised gas cylinders; the first of which strengthened the AAP’s hand since it was seen as BJP’s cynical use of somebody else’s message. The second was seen as much less important to these other issues of water and sanitation.
The 1100 or so unauthorised colonies, which are mostly middle and upper-middle income, are home to over 30 lakh persons. Their main issues are regularisation, reliable water supply and minimum municipal services. While the incumbent state government rightly took the flak for its failures, the BJP run municipal bodies have a role to play in the regularisation process and in the provision of services, hence they were not able to really reap the harvest from the disaffection with the Congress.
The question that arises is why the BJP, so well-established in Delhi and out of power for 15 years was unable to capture the anti-incumbency sentiments, and how was AAP so successful in doing so. Delhi has changed over the years. It is now a cosmopolitan city with no community dominant. Its per capita income is over Rs 2 lakhs per year, or Rs 10 lakhs for a family of 5 persons. It consumes more electricity than all the other metros put together.
 The purchase of air conditioners has doubled over the past three years to over 4 lakh units, while that of inverters has fallen by half. It is an aspirational city, looking for better jobs and better housing, for example, most of those staying in rented accommodation looking to own their own accommodation in three years according to a survey.
Increasingly these aspirational classes, cutting across incomes, see the political system as venal and uncaring. They identify the establishment as the single factor holding back society and themselves from growing to reach their full potential. In their frustration, they yearn for strong, decisive leadership with a clear vision. Corruption is something they see all around themselves, and which they identify with the cynical political leadership that has led to this state of affairs.
The political parties on the other hand have ceased to exist at the local level; there are no party workers available to transmit messages back and forth. Citizens have to approach touts, not political workers, to sort out their problems with the bureaucracy. And no one is there who can convey to the political leadership the messages coming from the grassroots, particularly at the micro and mohalla level. The AAP’s volunteers reached out commendably and were seen as selfless, not self-serving.
The end-result was that while both the BJP and the Congress were able to hold on to their core supporters, 30 percent and 25 percent of the electorate respectively, the BJP was unable to tap into either the anti-incumbency voters or the not-affiliated voters in significant numbers. The BJP with its strong organizational base that can be revived must introspect and develop clear alternate approaches that resonate well with voters as it prepares to take on the UPA in 2014.
(Writer is former principal secretary to Govt of Delhi)
Delhi has about 20 lakh persons staying in slums, not all of whom can be categorised as really poor since they pay Rs 1500-5000 as monthly rentals. The most important problems for the slum dwellers are the fear of being shifted to distant Bawana, inadequate size of accommodation, lack of access to water and to toilets.
A city to survive and grow must get rid of slums but not slum dwellers, without whose presence our services and support structures would collapse. The most viable option is in situ development of slums that would largely pay for itself. This would improve the quality of life of the slum dwellers by giving them upgraded accommodation with minimum facilities for dignified living. But these critical concerns and aspirations were not articulated by any party.
Instead the BJP talked about reducing electricity bills and of increasing the number of subsidised gas cylinders; the first of which strengthened the AAP’s hand since it was seen as BJP’s cynical use of somebody else’s message. The second was seen as much less important to these other issues of water and sanitation.
The 1100 or so unauthorised colonies, which are mostly middle and upper-middle income, are home to over 30 lakh persons. Their main issues are regularisation, reliable water supply and minimum municipal services. While the incumbent state government rightly took the flak for its failures, the BJP run municipal bodies have a role to play in the regularisation process and in the provision of services, hence they were not able to really reap the harvest from the disaffection with the Congress.
The question that arises is why the BJP, so well-established in Delhi and out of power for 15 years was unable to capture the anti-incumbency sentiments, and how was AAP so successful in doing so. Delhi has changed over the years. It is now a cosmopolitan city with no community dominant. Its per capita income is over Rs 2 lakhs per year, or Rs 10 lakhs for a family of 5 persons. It consumes more electricity than all the other metros put together.
 The purchase of air conditioners has doubled over the past three years to over 4 lakh units, while that of inverters has fallen by half. It is an aspirational city, looking for better jobs and better housing, for example, most of those staying in rented accommodation looking to own their own accommodation in three years according to a survey.
Increasingly these aspirational classes, cutting across incomes, see the political system as venal and uncaring. They identify the establishment as the single factor holding back society and themselves from growing to reach their full potential. In their frustration, they yearn for strong, decisive leadership with a clear vision. Corruption is something they see all around themselves, and which they identify with the cynical political leadership that has led to this state of affairs.
The political parties on the other hand have ceased to exist at the local level; there are no party workers available to transmit messages back and forth. Citizens have to approach touts, not political workers, to sort out their problems with the bureaucracy. And no one is there who can convey to the political leadership the messages coming from the grassroots, particularly at the micro and mohalla level. The AAP’s volunteers reached out commendably and were seen as selfless, not self-serving.
The end-result was that while both the BJP and the Congress were able to hold on to their core supporters, 30 percent and 25 percent of the electorate respectively, the BJP was unable to tap into either the anti-incumbency voters or the not-affiliated voters in significant numbers. The BJP with its strong organizational base that can be revived must introspect and develop clear alternate approaches that resonate well with voters as it prepares to take on the UPA in 2014.
(Writer is former principal secretary to Govt of Delhi)
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