Delhi elections: BJP still vulnerable against a united Opposition | Faraz Ahmad

The successive victories of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) soon after its nominal loss in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, first in Haryana, then Maharashtra and now in Delhi have caused only despondency among all those who look at the BJP as a divisive, communal, force led by an unapologetic authoritarian leader Narendra Modi, out to fulfil the dream of his Alma Mater the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on its on its centenary year. And if the BJP wins, by hook or crook Bihar by the end of this year there may be no hope left for redemption with the full realisation of Sangh’s dream.

But there could be a positive side to every event however despairing the situation may seems. For instance, while on the one hand the election of Donald Trump for a second term, spells disaster not just for the US but almost the entire world, what with his naked fascist expansionist plans spelt loud and clear first to crush any democratic voice and simultaneously to take the Panama Canal, next Greenland, then Canada, then Mexico. And then Gaza itself. Doesn’t it remind you of the tussle between Hitler and Mussolini over conquering Austria?

Similarly, MoSha’s final aim is like the Emperors of the old world to subjugate the entire country from North to South, East to West as Amit Shah has once disdainfully dismissed the regional forces as irrelevant in the current political scenario. And therefore, if the secular democratic forces are serious about taking on the BJP electorally, notwithstanding the complicity of the Election Commission, they have to come together, accommodate each other on their respective turfs and ensure a one to one fight. If my memory does not fail, one time supporter of Modi turned his scathing critic Arun Shourie perhaps suggested this in a meeting at the Press Club of India, in the run up to the 2019 elections that to take on Modi it is essential to ensure a one to one fight.

The Delhi Elections have proved this once more. The 2024 general elections to the 18th Lok Sabha first proved this when the INDIA alliance managed to defeat the BJP by reducing it from 303 seats in the 17th Lok Sabha to mere 240 in the present Lok Sabha. Apart from the fact that it was a loss of 63 seats to the BJP humbling Modi’s bombast of 400 plus seats to be won before the polling day, it reduced the BJP by 32 seats for a simple majority, which is the situation today. Additionally, the Congress which could not muster enough seats in the 16th and 17th Lok Sabha to be recognised as a relevant Opposition parties, won 99 seats, just short of one to score a century.

Much credit for this goes to the current Congress mascot Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mailkarjun Kharge. Had they behaved as badly as earlier their chief ministerial candidates in Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath, Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan and later Bhupinder Hooda in Haryana, who wilfully and deliberately sabotaged the INDIA alliance by disdainfully dismissing Akhilesh Yadav both in Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, and Arvind Kejriwal in Haryana. Had they accommodated them in these states, there was every chance of the Congress forming governments there. Their only USP was Rahul Gandhi and his Bharat Jodo Yatra whereby Congress again looked like a credible force ready to take on the RSS/BJP and its communal agenda. What to talk of welcoming other partners of the INDIA alliance, they were stingy and tight fisted with rival Congress leaders like in Haryana’s Dalit face Kumari Selja.

The fight against the BJP led Mahayuti in Maharashtra was lost similarly. The Congress had no chief ministerial candidate to project, particularly after Ashok Chavan quit the Congress and joined the BJP. Udhav Thackeray kept pleading to be projected as a chief ministerial candidate. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) hobbled through the Assembly elections. Because Congress leadership here in Delhi turned a deaf ear perhaps fearing a rebellion in the state.

It is so evident now that had the Congress and AAP fought together with the AAP sharing fairly and equitably the seats in the Muslim, Dalit dominated areas, there is no way the BJP would have won, despite all its sabotage tactics through their stooge of a Lt. Governor and the Election Commission turning a blind eye. The LG a former Gujarat government bureaucrat from Modi era, fulfilled Modi’s game plan by brining the Delhi government to a standstill, slapping bogus cases on the top vocal leaders of AAP, Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain and even Sanjay Singh. In all these years no forward movement towards a trial took place, like Umar Khalid and other students protesting against CAA or before that the Bhima Koregaon cases slapped against Left sympathisers by the then Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Phadnavis of Nagpur BJP pedigree.

Ever since Sheila Dikshit trifurcated the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) the BJP ruled in all three till year before last, that is 2023. But when the first election to a reunited MCD was held the BJP lost to AAP though by a narrow margin. But the LG appointed 10 Aldermen (read BJP men) using his extraordinary powers to turn AAP majority into a minority. This way the MCD was also reduced to a mere bickering and non-functioning body. When they ruled the three corporations the conditions of the Delhi municipal services were terrible. When they were voted out, they ensured that the AAP led body remained as ineffective. For more than two years now Delhi remained at a standstill, with all powers of elected ministers having been usurped by the LG. But the upwardly mobile Gated colony uncles blamed it all on Arvind Kejriwal. But not the poor, the minorities and Dalits. Yes, the Congress could not open its account in Delhi Assembly for the third term consecutively. But there are 13 seats including that of Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia where the Congress got much more than enough votes to ensure their defeat. Then there is the Mustafabad seat. Had Kejriwal not fielded a candidate, there perhaps the Congress could have won or let Tahir Husain defeat the BJP. Remember Tahir Husain, one time AAP corporator in jail since 2020 anti CAA attack by Sanghis led by that political turncoat Kapil Mishra, one time big critic of Narendra Modi. Poor fellow has been languishing in jail since then on the charge of being involved in those riots. There was tremendous sympathy among Muslims for Tahir Husain. Had the Congress given him ticket, I am near certain he would have won hands down against the BJP’s Bisht whose first task upon being elected was to demand change Mustafabad’s name to Shiv Vihar, even though another Shiv Vihar already exists in its vicinity.

The positive message for the future is that all the leaders of INDIA alliance keep their ambitions and egos behind and start working together now in a spirit of unity and a large hearted accommodation, like Vishwanath Pratap Singh did for the 1989 elections and became the Prime Minister defeating Rajiv Gandhi who had won more than 400 seats in the 1984 elections. The next test will be in Bihar and while in Bihar the Congress and Lalu Prasad’s RJD have been old allies, taking along and accommodating the three Communist parties, alone can ensure defeat of the BJP led government. Nitish Kumar has now been reduced to a mere puppet of the BJP and therefore this election it might be easier and simpler to take on the BJP in Bihar if the cadres of these parties work together from this day. That requires a series of public meetings and rallies in which all these big leaders are seen together in a spirit of camaraderie. This is the last chance. If BJP wins this one too there is no stopping One Nation, One Election, One leader and we know who, much before 202, never mind the age factor.