MillenniumPost
Editorial

Responsibilities galore

Responsibilities galore
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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) finally wrested power from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). The victory, however, was not "sweeping" but rather a "closely-contested" one. Whatever be the numbers, the reality is that by winning 134 out of the 250 wards, AAP has made its path clear to transforming one of the biggest and most crucial municipalities in the country. The BJP had been facing heavy criticism on account of its inefficient administration in the MCD. This criticism appeared even more pronounced in the backdrop of 15 long years of anti-incumbency. Also, much water has flown into Yamuna since 2007. After its formation in 2012, the AAP has branded itself as a party that is best-suited to deal with local issues like sanitation, health and education. It has almost gobbled up INC's space in the city politics. Both the BJP and the INC appear dwarfed when it comes to dealing with these issues. When the saffron party poured in all its might by roping in fire-brand national leaders including PM Modi and JP Nadda in its campaign, Arvind Kejriwal had no doubts about the place he needed to visit — Delhi's massive garbage mountains! The visit paid off as sanitation has indeed become a burning issue for the MCD. That the BJP — which was expected to face heavy defeat before the MCD elections were delayed — has managed to win 104 wards after unification, is partly attributable to its aggressive campaigning in the city. Some political pundits are of the view that the reunification of wards and the time lapse between the original and re-scheduled date of the elections might also have helped the BJP perform better than expectations. In fact, though it failed to secure a fourth term, the party witnessed a marginal rise in its vote share from 37 per cent in 2017 to 39 per cent in 2022. In comparison, the rise of the AAP since 2017 has been phenomenal. Its vote share increased from 26 per cent in 2017 to 42 per cent in 2022. The AAP predominantly ate up INC's space whose vote share declined from 21 per cent to 12 per cent. However, there is no doubt that the MCD elections this year were by and large a contest between the incumbent BJP and the AAP, and the latter fared much better than the former. To assess to what extent the AAP's narrative drove the outcomes of the MCD elections, one needs to take a look at the breakdown of voting percentage. Though the voting percentage remained low at 50 per cent, the lack of participation is reported to be more pronounced in affluent sections of society. The poor and the marginalized from slums and jhuggis voted in good numbers. Credit to his pro-poor schemes like the ones pertaining to electricity and water, as also the free bus ride scheme for women, Kejriwal's popularity among such voters has flourished. It is also to be noted that the class-wise breakdown of voting percentage in MCD elections reflects that the poor are finding greater promise in showing political participation. This is indeed a healthy sign. The greatest achievement of the AAP over the past decade has been that it has made politics revolve around ground issues like health, education and sanitation. Even the political campaigns of prominent parties in a polarized state like Gujarat couldn't afford to sideline this relatively fresh narrative. Now that the power has been transferred, and the AAP controls both the city and the municipality, massive challenges lie ahead of it. The garbage mountains that Kejriwal toured are waiting to be crushed. MCD employees are longing for a better and organized work culture as well as timely disbursement of salaries. Those residing along the peripheries of Delhi are in dire need of something they can call their home. Yamuna, too, needs some clean water to flow through it! AAP must deliver on its promises not just because that would be in line with political morality, but also because he needs to firm up the agenda he has been projecting at a national level. MCD might be a testing case for the AAP!

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