With the election tone all set in the national capital for 70 members assembly, all the three parties — AAP, BJP and the Congress — are gearing for the much high profile battle where political temperature has already soared due to the sharp statements being made by their leaders.
The Congress, which has faced a massive leadership void after losing the government in the national capital in 2013 following the defeat of three time Chief Minister Sheila dikshit, seems to have found a new face in the form of Sandeep Dikshit, who is being seen taking on the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi.
Sandeep Dikshit, who closely watched the emergence of AAP with mudslinging attack on his mother and former Chief Minister has now emerged as the sole warrior of the party in the national capital to bust the narrative of Kejriwal-led party.
He has been able to set the tone in Delhi with his sharp criticism of the AAP with facts and figures and also comparing how all the allegations against his mother and her government turned out to be false in last 11 years in the national capital.
Sandeep Dikshit, a two time former MP from East Delhi, has set the tone through his sharp media bytes to lodgeba formal complaint with Lt Governor VK Saxena about personal snooping.
Sandeep Dikshit, besides the Congress’ Alka Lamba and unit chief Devendra Yadav and other leaders is among the key players of Congress taking on the AAP in the national capital.However, it is Sandeep Dikshit who is now seen everywhere and visibly playing on front foot without looking behind to target Kejriwal and his government for failure in Delhi.The result of the attacks made by Sandeep Dikshit, as the Congress in last Assembly polls got less than 5 per cent vote share and nil seats in last Assembly election is steadily increasing its TV presence and space in public discourse.
Many Congress leaders feel that the sharp attack by Sandeep Dikshit may also turn into grand old party making in-roads into strong-holds of ruling AAP, particularly minorities and Dalit pockets, whixh it lost to thenrulig larty in last 12 years.
The Congress, however, has faced severe leadership crisis in the party ever since party it lost power in 2013.
Many of the top Delhi Congress leaders like Arvinder Singh Lovely, Rajkumar Chauhan, Parlad Singh Sawhney etc and joined parties like BJP and AAP.
While many close aides of Sheila Dikshit either retired or passed away likes of former Minister AK Walia and Ex Speaker Chaudhary Prem Singh etc.
Eveb the attempt by the Congress to hold Delhi unit popular among the people in last decade failed miserably despite changing the state unit chiefs like Anil Chaudhary, Lovely, Subhash Chopra and Ajay Maken.While Maken swrved as a minister under zsheila Dikshit, he is currently holding position of party’s treasurer thus making him out of most of the public dealing which led to Sandeep Dikshit appearing sole face of Congress in the national capital.
The emergence of Sandeep Dikshit at a time when rhe AAP is facing a severe leadership issues to corruption charges has made him popular among the public for his brutal attack on Kejriwal, who had accused his mother of corruption. Even the Congress in a bid to gain more out of current political scenario fielded Sandeep Dikshit from Kejriwal’s Constituency – New Delhi – where AAP leader trumped Sheila Dikshit in 2013 Assembly polls. Even BJP has fielded Pravesh Verma, son of former Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma from the same constituency making it a triangular fight.
Many Congress leader feel that fielding Sandeep Dikshit from New Delhi is good for Congress as he has seen the regime of his mother in the national capital and his words resonates with voters in the city and how she was removed from the power in 2013 with false allegations from Kejriwal and AAP.
During an interview with ITV Network Sandeep Dikshit slammed Kejriwal of showing 350 paper cuttings as evidence against all the allegations of corruption that he made on Sheila Dikshit.
He even said that in last 12 years Kejriwal failed to get the peobe done against his mother on the allegations that he made.
Sandeep Dikshit also targeted Kejriwal of wrongly defaming his mother for using government facilities while she was Chief Minister even when AAP leader himself allegedly spent crores on his government bungalow.
Sandeep Dikshit has also turned Delhi election a personal affair pertaining to his mother legacy and governance and how she was wrongly defamed by Kejriwal and AAP.
He is taking on Kejriwal, Chief Minister Atishi and AAP vehemently in the last few months.
Even people close to Dikshit family, has stated that entire support base of Sheila Dikshit regime is now fully backing him to take over Congress campaign and help emerge him as formidable alternate of Kejriwal from the same Assembly seat where his mother lost and he has even said that losing or winning is political routing but this time the fight from New Delhi is personal for him.
With the aggressive campaign of the BJP that no devooment took place in Delhi under Kejriwal’s regime is also helping Sandeep Dikshit as he is able to that weave the narrative to highlight development works during Sheila Dikshit’s rule here.
While in the interview with the ITV Network Sandeep Dikshit he got several calls from his party workers and leaders to reach for the campaigning as he has already begun his door to door campaign as is garnering more support among the people where the people are recalling his mother’s legacy and development work in Delhi. With the supporters of Sheila dikshit already activated and backing his candidature from New Delhi, his tenure as two time MP from East Delhi has also ensured that his supporters are now vouching for him in the high profile battle despite he failing to get a Lok Sabha ticket earlier this year.
