by Seema Khan
Arvind Kejriwal taking oath as Delhi Chief Minister for the third time, and APP sweeping the Delhi elections with a massive margin, the myth of antincumbancy disappeared with party winning 63 seats out of 70. Further their was no decline in the vote share of the party.
The toxic and aggressive campaign carried out by the BJP involving 300 of its MPs, 11 Chief Ministers, Home minister Amit Shah and PM Narendra Modi, through about 6500 road shows and public meetings was of no use. Every resources available to BJP; the money, power, administration, bureaucracy and the police force was applied.
The election was basically Kejriwal versus the biggest political party in the world. But Kejriwal’s guarantee card appeared a lot heavier on the scale.
Kejriwa has redefined and presented a new model of governance in Delhi - a model for honest Politics and for the welfare of the people. He catered for the new generation of the people, the youth, the students, and related himself to the ‘aam-admi’.
Due to his simple mannerism, straight forward language without blame game against BJP’s acrimonious campaign and polarisation attacks, the aam-admi (an ordinary person) was able to relate himself to Kejriwal.
Instead of attacking Modi, he kept the focus on the work that he did to improve lives in areas such as electricity, health, security, water, education and the other development works. He designed his party’s strategy carefully, not to fall on BJPs trap of low level rhetoric, and kept himself focused on the work that he and his party delivered in the last 5 years He and asked for votes in the name of development of Delhi.
He even asked BJP voters to vote for him for the development of Delhi, without leaving their political affiliation. And this appeal helped with many of the traditional BJP supports voting for him.
BJP focused its efforts to polarise the voters. Prakesh Javadekar went on to call Kejriwal a terrorist.
Shaeen Bagh was one of the main issues raised by BJP campaigners .They blamed Kejriwal for supplying Biryani to the people sitting in protest at Shaeen Bagh. Amit Shah asked the voters to press the button on EVM so hard that the people sitting in protest at Shaeen Bagh get the shock.
Another ministers went on to say that these people will enter your houses and rape your daughters and mothers.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister who is an expert in spitting venom used his skills to the maximum to polarise the voters.
Prime minister asked people to recognise the anti-CAA protesters by their cloths.
Phrases like “goli maro salo ko” were used against anti-CAA protesters. But all that hate speeches did not work on Delhites, leaving the BJP red faced.
The Election commission, as usual, remained a mute spectator to all this nasty and hate filled campaign of the BJP, baring a few from campaigning for few hours.
Supreme Court too was silent.
Both Election commission and Supreme Court showed a favourable attitude towards BJP by not taking any action, or preventing the BJP from stooping too low in their campaign.
With BJP at the centre, the Municipal Corperation of Delhi with the BJP, all the 7 lok-sabha seats with BJP, and the LG working as an agent of the central government, giving the hostile atmosphere in which AAP and its ministers were working, a lot of credit needs to be given to them for the work they have done for the development of Delhi and its people.
This victory clearly shows that people are getting fed up with the policies and rhetoric of Hindu-Muslims. They want a government that is honest, transparent and focussed on development and welfare of the people.
With celebration across the country and other parts of the world, people are looking forward to this type of government, and divisive politics has been rejected. Vikas has changed the party - shifted from Narendra Modi as vikas purush to Kejriwal.
He has been successful to unite the votes regardless of their religion, cast or background. Hindutva has become a law of diminishing returns.
All parties will now have to rethink on their political strategies. We can only hope that Kejriwal’s model of politics become the model for the country.
*Opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of UMMnews.
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