Delhi Elections 2015: Will the Fight for Personal Prestige Overshadow Real Issues in Delhi?

By Deepak Parvatiyar

January 29, 2015

Much is being said on whether the ensuing Delhi election has become a prestige issue for political parties. But then, why shouldn’t it become so? It’s good for democracy that political parties fight for their honour. For that matter, there is nothing wrong when personal reputations of big leaders are at stake.

BJP, AAP and Congress: Crucial Battle for Delhi

Consider how the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asked its 300+ MPs from both Houses of Parliament  to campaign in the national capital for the 2015 elections to the Delhi Assembly.  Similarly, consider how the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) skipped state elections in four other states to concentrate solely on its perceived stronghold, Delhi.

The Congress, still in a turmoil following a streak of disastrous performances in electoral battles in recent times, too adopted some unconventional methods such as announcing the names of its candidates before the election date was announced to prepare better for the tough fight ahead.

For the BJP, the national capital has remained elusive for the last 16 years. The AAP’s surprise victory in 2013 prompted it to delay  lifting the President’s rule and go for fresh elections here till the completion of elections in four states of Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, (where it formed its governments), and Jammu and Kashmir (where it emerged as the second largest party).

For the AAP, it is the very question of its political survival and a bad performance in Delhi could well prove disastrous for the party of political greenhorns. As for the Congress, it is purely a matter of salvaging some honour after its rout in recent elections.

Political Faces Matter More than Core Issues today

There has been a new trend in electioneering to single out the target than to fight on issues! After all, issues have remained more or less similar for all the parties for years – whether they are corruption, inflation, good governance or poverty. Come elections and they emerge like an unresolved mystery, exposing the empty promises of self-serving politicians.

This explains the recent trend of presidential style of campaigning. Obviously, after failing to meet the aspirations of (now a more demanding) voters, what the political parties require are credible faces for a piggyback ride to victory. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one such face that clicked for the BJP in recent elections. Arvind Kejriwal was another face that added value to the fortunes of the AAP. In this light, an ostensible reason for the Congress’s fall was its inability to sell the Gandhis (both Sonia and Rahul) as credible faces before the voters like in the past.

Clash of Personalities in Delhi Polls 2015

Issues haven’t changed in Delhi since the 2013 election either but for the issue of credibility of the AAP founder, Kejriwal, and the emergence of Modi.  The way he quit as the CM after 49 days and his larger political ambition have come under the scanner. The BJP has missed no chance to attack his fickle behaviour this election.

Yet, opinion polls still consider him to be a popular face in Delhi.  His deft handling of the campaign by pitting himself against a BJP which despite banking on Modi’s charisma was still faceless in Delhi, prompted the BJP bring in a rank outsider, Kiran Bedi, as its CM face. Not to mention that Bedi – the country’s first woman officer of Indian Police Service, was once a colleague of Kejriwal in the India Against Corruption movement.

Is the BJP Resorting to Gimmicks to Win Elections?

Elections are always serious business with high stakes and big money involved. Yet, what is irksome is when winning becomes the only goal – what if with dubious means and false promises. This though has been a grim fact.

Hence, none can escape resorting to gimmicks to lure the voters. Just look at how the Prime Minister called up the Union Power Minister with instructions to ensure uninterrupted power supply to Delhi. Or, the Union Home Minister, doling out Rs 5 lakh cash compensation to the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots! Consider the Union Finance Minister batting for cheap electricity to Delhi!

Shouldn’t issues rather than personal stakes dictate terms in elections? The beauty of democracy is that the common man enjoys the power to make or break the political destiny of any mighty leader. And, Delhi has done this in the past. It is high time it demands for the best instead of just falling for cheap gimmicks of politicians. After all, an entire nation looks up to its capital city!