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Home Elections Lok Sabha Phase 6: As Delhi Votes Today, What’s At Stake For AAP-Congress & BJP?

Lok Sabha Phase 6: As Delhi Votes Today, What’s At Stake For AAP-Congress & BJP?

Will the AAP-Congress alliance be able to pose a tough fight to the BJP?

Varsha Sriram

Elections

Published: 25 May 2024, 6:38 AM IST

The key battle is between the BJP and the INDIA bloc, as Congress and AAP fight to outshine the ruling party.

(Photo: Namita Chauhan/The Quint)

"There are no permanent friends or enemies in politics. Never did we think that Congress and AAP will come together and fight an election. Why? Because we need to save democracy. We need to save the country from the BJP. Delhi will give a befitting response to Kejriwal's arrest on 25 May."

This was what Banarasi Dubey, 48, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporter and resident of West Delhi's Model Town, told The Quint last week, during a roadshow of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Overhearing our conversation was a 62-year-old vegetable vendor. Pointing towards the crowd, the vendor, who did not wish to be named, said:

"How can we trust a party which, one day fights against each other, and once together... We (voters) won't be fooled. We know what [PM] Modiji has done for this country. It's a national election, the BJP has and will continue to dominate Delhi."

Vegetable Vendor to The Quint

At Arvind Kejriwal's first rally campaigning for INDIA bloc candidates in West Delhi on 15 May

(Photo: Varsha Sriram/The Quint)

As Delhi votes on Saturday, 25 May in the sixth phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, it is this loyalty of supporters like Dubey and the vendor that is on test.

Not only is it a prestigious battle between 'Modi factor' and the BJP's 'anti-corruption' narrative vs the Kejriwal-led AAP's guarantee schemes, but the election has also become more of a battle between national vs local issues.

What's at stake this time in Delhi, who are the key candidates in the seven constituencies, and most importantly, will the AAP-Congress alliance be able to pose a tough fight to the BJP? The Quint takes a closer look.

AAP-Congress Vs BJP: A Two-Way Fight?

While the AAP has been a dominant force in Delhi's electoral playfield, it has failed to win even one Lok Sabha seat from the national capital, with the BJP sweeping all seven seats in 2014 and 2019, riding on the back of PM Narendra Modi’s popularity.

In 2024, both AAP and Congress believe that there's a stark difference: In 2014 and 2019, both parties fought against each other and against the BJP, making it a triangular contest.

But this time, they are allied together, with AAP contesting four (New Delhi, East Delhi, South Delhi, West Delhi) out seven seats, and the Congress the remaining three (Chandni Chowk, Northeast and Northwest Delhi).

Also Read'Be It AAP or BJP, No One Cares for Us,' Say Delhi Residents Along Yamuna River

Before the parties could begin campaigning in full-swing, Delhi CM Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on 21 March in an excise policy-linked money laundering case, leaving the AAP in disarray.

Though the AAP brought in Kejriwal's wife Sunita into the picture and initiated a 'Jail ka jawab vote se' campaign, it was missing its star campaigner. You can read our ground report here.

The alliance, too, got off to a rocky start, with a lack of coordination between the two parties. To add on, was the resignation of Delhi Congress president Arvind Singh Lovely, and four other party leaders, who later joined the BJP. You can read more about this here.

But the real turning point came when the Supreme Court on 10 May granted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief interim bail till 1 June to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. With Kejriwal back on ground, AAP cadres were enthused. You can read our ground report here.

The AAP hopes to gain sympathy from Kejriwal’s arrest, terming it a political vendetta. In most of his campaign speeches, he reminded voters about his guarantee schemes (free water, electricity, bus services for women) and asked them to vote for the party to ensure that he won't have to go back to jail.

Meanwhile, the Congress is hoping for a resurgence in Delhi a decade after it was pushed out of the national capital by AAP and wishes to convince its voters that they were fighting a larger battle to save democracy.

The BJP, on the other hand, relied on PM Modi's 'development agenda. While it underlined the "failures" of the Congress during its rule at the Centre, leaders attacked the AAP over "corruption" charges and local issues.

The BJP also sought to capitalise on AAP's handling of the Swati Maliwal issue, more of which you can read here.

Also ReadEducation or Nationalism? Person or Party?: What Delhi's First Time Voters Want

The Key Contests

New Delhi: Home to the residences of India's top officials including the President and Prime Minister, this is a high-profile seat. This time, the BJP has fielded Bansuri Swaraj, lawyer and daughter of late Union minister Sushma Swaraj. She will take on AAP's Somnath Bharti.

While Swaraj, a newcomer in politics, has been leveraging her mother's legacy, Bharti, a three-time MLA from Malviya Nagar, banks on AAP’s local governance appeal.

This time, the BJP has fielded Bansuri Swaraj, lawyer and daughter of late Union minister Sushma Swaraj. She will take on AAP's Somnath Bharti.