BJP wrests advantage, AAP on back foot

After being unable to win the Delhi Assembly polls since its magnificent victory under Madan Lal Khurana in 1993, the Bharatiya Janata Party appears to have wrested the advantage in the ongoing elections, pushing the Aam Aadmi Party on the defensive.

- PANKAJ VOHRA

However, while the saffron brigade, on the strength of its better organizational ability and superior booth management, is in a position from where it can reach the podium easily, it does not mean that the battle is over and the AAP has given up. The goal is still far away and much can happen between then and now.

Arvind Kejriwal is an astute politician, who can make a comeback of sorts even though the perception is not in his favour and many of his supporters have written him off. There is always a difference between perception and reality and what is being projected by the media, does not necessarily mean would happen in the same manner at the grassroots level on voting day.

It needs to be remembered that even in 2020, till the very last, the expectations were that the BJP would score a convincing victory. However, the situation changed, resulting in yet another spectacular victory for the broom. This is an I election where the final outcome does depend to some degree on how the Congress, the third player in the triangle, performs.

Contrary to the general calculation that if the Congress does well, it would help the BJP, it is the other way around.

If the grand old party is able to secure 10% of votes, it would be AAP that would be the beneficiary, since the Congress would be eating into anti-AAP votes, thus denying votes which could have gone to the BJP.