AAP Ahead Of BJP, CAA Unlikely To Cast Its Shadow On Delhi Polls

Elections to the Delhi assembly will take place on February 8 and results will be declared on February 11, 2020, as per the schedule announced by the Election Commission of India on Monday afternoon. With a new chief Minister for Delhi likely to be in place in just over a month, will the present incumbent Arvind Kejriwal, get re-elected? Or will theBJPgive the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) a run for its money?

Currently, the AAP'S track record appears to point to its victory. The one question which is doing the rounds in the intelligentsia is with respect to the controversy surrounding the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Will, it cast its long shadow on the Delhi assembly polls?

There appear to be mixed views on this, with some giving the advantage to the BJP on account of a highly charged atmosphere in Delhi following anti-CAA protests, some of which have turned violent. These analysts believe that the resistance to CAA will swing the popular mandate in favour of the BJP.

However, the general perception is that people will go by the report card for its 5 years represented by the AAP and vote Kejriwal back to power.

In contrast to AAP which has rallied around Kejriwal as the undisputed leader, the BJP is hamstrung by a clear absence of good leadership. Manoj Tiwari does not have the traction a chief ministerial candidate needs to take on someone like Arvind Kejriwal. Vijay Goel also fails to meet the required standards. Though things look in control for the national party on the surface, it is widely believed that the party is plagued with groups in the national capital unit.

AAP, on the other hand, is relying on its track record including toning up the sectors of health and school education and providing subsidised electricity and water supply, among other things. As Arvind Kejriwal tweeted on Monday afternoon, the battle for Delhi in February 2020 could well be based on AAP's performance.