ASSEMBLY POLLS: IS CHANGE ON THECARDS?

The upcoming Delhi Assembly elections will witness a fierce contest among AAP, BJP, and Congress. Freebies, pollution, Yamuna River, corruption, and the role of minor political parties Anup Verma looks at all the key issues that may shape the electoral landscape.

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THE BJP was in power in Delhi between 1993 and 1998 and has given three Chief Ministers Sahib Singh Verma, Madan Lal Khurana and Sushma Swaraj - during that period. The Delhi voters, however, in 1998, chose Congress' Sheila Dikshit, and their preference remained intact for 15 years. Dikshit made a hat-trick of winning back-to-back assembly elections, keeping aspirations of the saffron party at bay.

After supporting the Congress from 1998 to 2008 Vidhan Sabha elections, many voters began to feel disillusioned with the grand old party, especially after a series of alleged scams, such as the 2G spectrum. And, with Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal and other activists bursting onto the national scene with their anti-corruption movement in 2011, successfully channelling people's angst against the then Congress-led central government, the party's Delhi unit too felt its repercussions. In the 2013 elections, the BJP won 32 seats while the newly formed Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP bagged 28 seats, and Congress finished third with just eight seats.

The AAP, succeeding in snatching away Congress' vote bank, formed its government in the capital city with support coming from none other than its "adversary" Congress.

After resigning from the chief minister's post in just 49 days over Jan Lokpal Bill issue, Arvind Kejriwal requested fresh elections for the legislative assembly Subsequently, in 2015 and 2020 assembly elections, the AAP completely decimated the Congress and the BJP. It was a wave of Arvind Kejriwal, which recorded a massive victory over his opponents, as the AAP got 67 out of 70 seats in 2015 and 62 in 2020.

Riding on a wave of popularity, the party ruled in the capital "spotlessly" till allegations of liquor scam and expensive renovation at the CM's residence and money laundering cases were levelled against the party born out of the anti-corruption movement.