Former MP and Congress candidate from the New Delhi Constituency, Sandeep Dikshit has raised questions that could have a bearing on Arvind Kejriwal’s projection as the Chief Ministerial nominee of the Aam Aadmi Party in the coming Assembly polls. Dikshit has stated that one of the conditions laid down by the Apex Court while granting bail to Kejriwal was that he would not be signing any papers as the CM, something which he took into cognisance and resigned, paving the way for Atishi Singh to succeed him. The point flagged by the Congress nominee has legal implications and may become a matter of contention when the campaigning is in full swing. However by taking a combative posture right in the beginning, Dikshit has made it clear that he was not going to allow Kejriwal an easy passage in the Assembly and would also try and avenge his mother’s defeat at his hands, when Sheila Dikshit as the serving CM, had lost to him by 26,500 votes in 2013 and had even forfeited her deposit. Dikshit also sees it as his best chance to make a political comeback in the capital and is in no mood to allow the opportunity to slip by. It is another matter that vanquishing Kejriwal, who enjoys tremendous goodwill is never going to be an easy task.
The BJP which is yet to declare its list has already made it known that it shall be fielding Parvesh Verma, two times MP and son of former CM, Sahib Singh Verma as its candidate against Kejriwal. Although many political pundits find it Verma’s candidacy from New Delhi a bit odd given that there are hardly any Jat Votes in the area where government employees have a large say. Nevertheless, Verma shall have the backing of the BJP’s robust organisation and money muscles and cannot be written off. In a triangular fight, he may add to the excitement thus making the contest in New Delhi as the most followed fight in the ensuring elections. Even though Dikhsit has talked about Kejriwal’s ineligibility to be the CM, he cannot deny that the primary step for everyone to take would be to first get elected to the Assembly. Everything else shall follow after that. One has to understand that Kejriwal is a master strategist and if elected, may not choose to be the CM, instead allowing Atishi to continue (if she also wins).
He would be more interested in controlling matters from behind the scene and also pursue national ambitions. Kejriwal is the unquestioned supremo of the AAP and it matters a little if he is the CM or not. His presence would be enough to infuse confidence in his party which is aiming to score a hat-trick in the 2025 polls. In the midst of the festive season, there is also a talk of the AAP and the Congress aligning, an issue which has been vehemently denied by both parties. The BJP, however, is fanning this narrative and is claiming that the two parties had no option but to combine in order to meet the challenge from the Saffron Brigade.
The issue is that even if Rahul Gandhi gives his consent for the Congress to play second fiddle to AAP, the cadres would be extremely disappointed and the decision would further erode the diminishing base of the party. On the other hand, the AAP shall have everything to gain since the minority and Dalit votes shall not be split. In fact, if there is a direct fight between the AAP and Congress on one side, and the BJP on the other, it is the Saffron Brigade that would bear the brunt. The reality is that the presence of the Congress in the fray, suits AAP much better since the grand old party shall be cutting into anti-Kejriwal votes and thus impacting the result in its favour. This thesis is disputed by some but it is a fact that if the Congress puts up a spirited fight, the AAP shall be the beneficiary and not the BJP. What is also surprising is the delay by the BJP in announcing its nominees. There are many veterans who believe that the BJP will try to upset the rhythm of the AAP campaign by enticing away some of its leaders including nominees who have been declared. The intention would be that in some segments, there may be no AAP nominee when the polling takes place.
However, the AAP has also been exploring the option of putting up formidable second line leaders as the covering candidates in every assembly segment as to prepare itself for a contingency which is not evident at this juncture. The short point is that many mind games and gimmicks may be witnessed during the run up to the polling. Coming back to Dikshit, if his argument on Kejriwal holds ground legally, the AAP shall be comfortable in not projecting anyone as the CM face, thus allowing Atishi to remain its mascot, since she is the incumbent and the one who could be retained if the party wins the third time around, which seems to be the most likely case. The AAP victory, if it happens, would not be as impressive as it has been in 2015 and 2020 but all the same shall be adequate to put it in power. The BJP is having a series of meetings to find out how it can win the Assembly after 32 years. The last and only time it won was in 1993 when the party romped home to victory under the leadership of Madan Lal Khurana.
