Double Engine or Double Jeopardy: Govt in Delhi

The Rekha Gupta government in the national capital tomorrow would complete three months in office, after she assumed charge on February 20 this year.

- Siddharth Mishra Author and president, Centre for Reforms, Development & Justice

In another 10 days, they would complete 100 days in the office, and generally 100 days is considered to be a good time for a government to register its preamble of policy and administration.

The Delhi assembly elections were fought in the background of a disharmonious relationship between the state and the central government, which had brought administration and governance in the city to a standstill. The BJP, during its campaign, pitched for a double-engine government—that is, a same-party government at the Centre and in the state.

The ideologues and policy consultants within the BJP have made the double engine the spearhead of their campaign in the state polls. The thinking behind the concept of a double engine is that if the state and central governments belong to the same party, the state will develop much faster.

To put it simply, if one engine of government fails, the second will take care of governance.