AAM AADMI PARTY (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal is undoubtedly the frontrunner for the Chief Minister’s post in the upcoming Assembly election in the National Capital Region (NCR). The word on the street is that he might win comfortably as even the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) supporters, who vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the national level, want “a Kejriwal” to hold the fort in Delhi. The BJP does not have a credible chief ministerial candidate, and this is a major reason for such tactical voting. Delhi’s most popular BJP leader at the moment is the Delhi unit chief and former Bhojpuri actor Manoj Tiwari. He is seen as not good enough to change the BJP’s fortunes.
A staunch BJP supporter explained why he would vote for the local AAP candidate: “Even if I were to discount his [Manoj Tiwari’s] theatrics and ignore the fact that he is a singer and dancer, he is not from here [Delhi]. He has no real connection with the people of Delhi and does not understand the issues.”
Voters do not take seriously Tiwari’s election promise of providing “five times more relief” on electricity and water charges than what is available under the AAP government. One voter, who dismissed Tiwari’s statements as “bakwaas” (rubbish), said: “Currently we are getting electricity for free [up to 200 units]. What does he mean by five times free?”
This story is from the February 14, 2020 edition of FRONTLINE.
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This story is from the February 14, 2020 edition of FRONTLINE.
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