Delhi Assembly Elections: AAP Ahead, BJP Catching Up

New Delhi: With Delhi assembly elections less than two months away, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the BJP are the two major contenders in the race for power.

AAP is miles ahead of the BJP in its election campaign as its volunteers fan out on a door-to-door mission with its report card of five years, to educate voters on the Kejriwal government's achievements.

Last week, Arvind Kejriwal had released a report card of his government's socio-economic interventions and achievements.

Among the big boxes which the Kejriwal government seems to have ticked and which have gone down well with Delhi voters, are free water supply and subsidised power bills.

The AAP leadership hopes that these schemes along with its initiatives in the sectors of health care, education and other key areas will bring it back to power.

It is well aware of the goodwill the schemes have generated across its voter base and is making every effort to consolidate it.

The Kejriwal government is also backing its door to door campaign up with a massive publicity blitz of its achievements, in the media.

The BJP, on the other hand is hobbled by a crisis of leadership. Manoj Tiwari does not have enough traction, while party veteran, Vijay Goel, lacks charismatic appeal.

Meenakshi Lekhi is not perceived as a grassroots politician. The Congress appears to be out of the electoral reckoning in Delhi.

Though the BJP swept Delhi winning all seven Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 elections, it is bracing itself for a major fight against AAP.

Apart from a consolidation of votes on account of protests against citizenship amendment act (CAA) emerging as a polarising factor, there is not much going in its favour.

While BJP supporters feel that it is the AAP which should be worried, Arvind Kejriwal's cadrereckons that the ongoing protests and debate on CAA would help its cause.

However, the BJP has another ace up its electoral sleeve in the form of the Union government's decision to regularise 1,731 unauthorised colonies housing more than 40 lakh residents.

This move by the Centre is causing a lot of worry to the AAP leadership as it cuts into the party's voter base.