The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress have joined forces in a seat-sharing agreement under the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) dominance in Delhi’s Lok Sabha constituencies. AAP will contest on four seats, while Congress will field candidates on three.
The campaign has taken several twists and turns, with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest on corruption charges and his subsequent release on interim bail. Kejriwal’s arrest and subsequent return to the campaign trail have raised the stakes, and he has emerged as the star campaigner for INDIA.
The BJP has focused its campaign on questioning Kejriwal’s credentials as an anti-corruption crusader and promoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development model. AAP, in turn, has launched a campaign titled ‘Jail Ka Jawab Vote Se,’ portraying Kejriwal’s arrest as a political conspiracy hatched by the BJP to destroy the AAP.
Amidst the ‘Kejriwal vs Modi’ narrative, Congress is looking to regain its foothold in Delhi after ruling the city for 15 consecutive years. The party initially faced internal unrest, with some members unhappy with the decision to ally with AAP. However, as polling day nears, a synergy is developing between AAP and Congress workers at election rallies, united by their common opposition to the BJP.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has urged party workers to support AAP candidates and vice versa, highlighting the significance of their electoral alliance. Key contests include Kanhaiya Kumar, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union leader, contesting on a Congress ticket against Manoj Tiwari, a Bhojpuri actor and sitting BJP MP, in North East Delhi, where a large migrant population could influence the outcome.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the BJP secured 56.9% of the votes, while Congress and AAP received 22.6% and 18.2% respectively. However, in the 2020 Delhi Assembly election, AAP won 62 out of 70 seats with 53.5% of the vote share. With Delhi voters showing a tendency to favor Modi at the national level and Kejriwal at the state level, it remains to be seen if AAP can break the BJP’s winning streak in Delhi and if Congress can make a comeback.
