Elected leaders switch parties ahead of civic polls in Delhi

According to the records provided by the various political parties, at least 38 municipal councillors have left their parties and joined rival group. The Congress, according to the records, is the most affected with 23 members of the party switching over to the other side

NEW DELHI: As the city approaches the crucial municipal elections, due to be held in April next year, it is the season of shifting loyalties in the political parties.

The municipal polls in Delhi are due to be held in April next year. (Picture for representation only)

According to the records provided by the various political parties, at least 38 municipal councillors have left their parties and joined rival group. The Congress, according to the records, is the most affected with 23 members of the party switching over to the other side -- more than one third of its 30 members elected to the three corporations in the last elections held in 2017.

The next biggest group comes from the Bharatiya Janata Party that is ruling the municipal corporation in Delhi for the past three consecutive terms. Seven BJP councillors joined other parties. Despite the party’s poor showing in the 2015 assembly elections, when the BJP could manage only three seats, it retained power in the three municipal corporations. In 2017, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) replaced the Congress as the main opposition in all three municipal bodies, but the BJP had a comfortable majority in all three houses.

The rest of the turncoats included three independents, four of the Bahujan Samaj Party and one of the Samajwadi Party.

According to political pundits, the municipal corporation elections in Delhi are crucial for all the three main contenders -- for the BJP, it will be a big test if it could manage to hold on to power despite a huge anti-incumbency; for the AAP, it will be the last frontier in its bid for complete administrative control over Delhi after having humbled its political opponents in two consecutive assembly polls; and for the Congress it will be yet another elections where it has to fight to regain whatever space it could that it has ceded to rivals since 2013.

Administratively, the municipal corporations play a very important role in the lives of the citizens touching almost every aspect from cradle to the grave. The three corporations in Delhi administer almost an equal area and similar number of services as the Delhi government.

For all those who left their parties, the AAP remained the first choice. According to the data, 15 of the 38 joined AAP -- these include seven from the Congress, four from the BJP, two from the BSP and one each from the SP and independents. Besides, at least 20 former councillors from other parties have also shifted to the AAP.

Delhi BJP chief, Adesh Gupta, said turncoats will not make any impact in the coming MCD polls. “Many of such leaders from other parties are also willing to join the BJP. But, we are least bothered about poaching. Since the people of Delhi are aware of the corrupt practices being followed by the AAP government, they will never vote for them. We will once again win the MCD polls, and with more seats this time,” he said.

In 2017, the BJP won 181 of the total 272seats across the three municipal corporations.

He said the BJP councillors who have joined the AAP were “inactive in the organisation”, and were only hoping to a lucrative position. “This is not a family-run party like the Congress or regional parties. Many Congress and AAP people have joined the BJP, so these things happen,” he said.

Senior AAP leader and the party’s MCD in-charge, Durgesh Pathak, said the leaders from other parties have been joining the AAP because of the high-headedness and corruption among the top leadership of their parties. “There are number of areas in which the BJP-ruled MCDs have failed to deliver. The heaps of garbage and mountain-like landfills are common sights in the national capital. In the past few years, the Kejriwal government has proved that it can provide better facilities to Delhiites as it has given free electricity and water to one and all. Even the unauthorised colonies have been given the basic necessities. On the other hand, the BJP and the Congress has made the civic bodies a white elephant. Since the workers’ voices in these parties have never been heard by their top leaders, they are shifting their sides to make the MCD pro-people, than being pro-BJP or pro-Congress,” he said.

Pathak said many more councillors from both the Congress and the BJP, as well as former councillors, are in touch with AAP and willing to join the party ahead of MCD elections. “But before the entry, we are trying to ensure that they have a clean record, and the conviction to carry forward the pro-people agenda of the AAP,” he said.

Senior Congress leader and councillor from Andrews Ganj, Abhishek Dutt, said turncoats make no impact on election results. “The main reason, for the leaders to change their sides before the polls, is the lure of the lucre. And, since the BJP and AAP always attract the leaders, who want to make easy money through politics, they are always the better choice. Since Delhi people have realized the corrupt practices going on in the AAP government and BJP-led MCDs, they are now looking for options. We are sure that the Congress will wrest power in civic bodies,” he said.

Experts, however, say that turncoats may not make much of a dent electorally, but they are a clear indication of “which way the wind is blowing”. But, they cautioned, there are always exceptions.

Sanjay Kumar of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), said, “It is a common phenomenon that leaders bet on the party having an edge over its rivals. But there are exceptions, too. We must not forget the recent West Bengal results, where many Trinamool leaders shifted their sides to the BJP before the polls. But, despite the side-shifting drama, Trinamool won by a thumping majority,” he said.