Delhi Assembly Elections 2020: Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Vadra Could Make Congress A Key Player

The big question which is being asked in political circles is whether the Congress would be able to perform better in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections for 70 seats to be held on February 8. The Aam Admi Party (AAP) led by Arvind Kejriwal swept the Delhi assembly elections in 2015 grabbing 67 out of 70 seats, leaving the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) with merely 3 seats. The Congress did not trouble the scorers, to use a cricketing phrase.

In recent months, the Congress has done well in assembly elections, coming to power in Jharkhand in alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)led by Hemant Soren and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). The party also won assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Punjab.

It must be borne in mind that the Congress had ruled Delhi for 15 years from 1998 to 2013 and was led by a stalwart in the form of Sheila Dikshit back then. In 2013, Sheila Dixit was stunned by a newcomer to the political scene—Arvind Kejriwal.

While AAP hopes to get re-elected, the BJP reckons that it would be able to ride on the charismatic appeal of PM Modi. It remains to be seen whether incidents in Jamia Millia Islamia and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) would help the BJP in any way as some of its party men tend to think. On the contrary, it could swing votes the Congress way for standing up against the CAA.

Kirti Azad, who has migrated to the Congress from the BJP, could tilt the crucialPurvanchalibloc of voters in favour of the party. The tie-up withRashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Delhi polls could also swing the Purvanchali vote which is seen as a swing factor in nearly 20 constituencies.

The biggest problem the Congress faces is the absence of leadership. It does not have a saleable face in Delhi after Sheila Dikshit. Subhash Chopra, who heads the Delhi Congress has to lean on Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadrafor Congress to get some traction.