MCD election 2017: Will BJP ride the Modi wave, or Cong, AAP make a comeback?
Exit polls have predicted a big win for the BJP, while the AAP and Congress have been shown competing for a distant second spot.
So, who is it going to be: the BJP, the Congress or the AAP? As the results of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls are announced on Wednesday, the parties in the fray will have more than their reputations at stake.
While for Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party, it could provide a much-needed comeback after the recent Punjab and Goa assembly poll debacles, but for the incumbent BJP, it will be another affirmation of the Narendra Modi wave.
For the Congress, which has been in the opposition in the municipal corporations for the past decade, it would be a matter of survival.
Pollsters have predicted a big win for the BJP, while the AAP and Congress have been shown competing for a distant second spot.
Commenting on the exit poll results, AAP (Delhi) convener Dilip Pandey said, “The fact that decades-old EVMs, which deserved to be scrapped, were used in the election and manufactured poll surveys were broadcast two days ahead of the elections, smacks of attempts to rig the polls. However, our final comment on the issue will come only after the results are announced.”
The AAP has been raising the issue of EVM tampering since the Punjab election results were declared. Its national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has even threatened to launch a “movement” if the exit poll predictions turn out accurate.
The BJP, on the other hand, is upbeat. “Besides seeking votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the party has also taken a bold step of dumping all its sitting councillors to beat the local anti-incumbency. A third-time victory in the corporations will, in a way, be a sweet revenge for what happened in 2015 elections,” said a senior BJP leader, referring to the AAP’s resounding win in the assembly polls.
Around 54% of the 1.32 crore-strong city electorate had exercised their franchise on Sunday to choose 270 councillors across the north, south and east Delhi municipal corporations.