Warning for divided AAP, BJP plays the long game: Delhi mayoral polls set the stage for Assembly battle

The contention ended up seeing a razor-thin finish. Of the 265 votes cast, the AAP secured 133, portion the BJP obtained 130 votes. Two votes were declared invalid. In a large stroke to the AAP, the enactment saw cross-voting arsenic 8 of its votes shifted to the BJP.

Despite the cross-voting that exposed the fissures wrong its unit, the AAP sees the mayoral triumph arsenic “crucial” successful keeping its flock together. “Had we lost, it would person created a rift among the councillors and made it precise hard to regain power (of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi) from the BJP,” said a elder AAP leader.

In his archetypal code to enactment councillors aft being released from jailhouse successful the excise case, Kejriwal had adjacent acknowledged the interior discontent wrong the AAP. “Everyone is unhappy, ” helium said astatine the time.

“Those who did not get a summons are unhappy. Those who got a summons are unhappy. After getting the ticket, they fought elections. Those who mislaid are unhappy, and those who won are besides unhappy. The winners privation MLA tickets and the MLAs privation ministerial posts. Even ministers are unhappy,” Kejriwal quipped, drafting laughter from the gathered councillors.

The remark aside, AAP councillors said their discontent with their enactment stems from respective causes. One, councillors allege that section MLAs are “neglecting” their requests connected matters of civic value and “being unapproachable”.

Similar frustrations beryllium astatine the mandal level. Addressing mandal in-charges connected October 19, Kejriwal urged enactment leaders to enactment agreed contempt differences. “You mightiness not similar your MLA, but that is okay. Do not absorption connected the MLA oregon the candidate. Just look astatine me, Kejriwal. I volition contention each 70 seats,” helium said.

Many AAP councillors are besides seeking Assembly seats, either for themselves oregon for household members. At slightest 3 councillors are expected to person tickets, sources said, further straining the interior dynamics of the party.

Asked astir the cross-voting aft winning the mayoral seat, recently elected Mayor Mahesh Khichi said, “A triumph is simply a victory. It does not substance if it’s by 1 ballot oregon three. Our councillors are not straying from the party. Small disagreements beryllium successful each party. Our absorption present is to code the issues successful Delhi earlier the elections and proceed our bully enactment erstwhile the polls conclude.”

The BJP does not spot Thursday’s effect arsenic a “complete defeat”. Raja Iqbal Singh, the BJP’s Leader of Opposition successful the Delhi Assembly, said: “We were already successful a minority, truthful we bash not see this a conflict we lost. Winning this predetermination was not our target. Our lone people was getting a Dalit Mayor. When the councillors are fed up, their temper changes towards the party, starring to this benignant of cross-voting.”

BJP councillors had adjacent arrived astir an hr precocious connected polling day. Party sources attributed this to “strategising”, though galore admitted that the BJP was not afloat invested successful a win, preferring to debar civic responsibilities that could go burdensome up of the Assembly polls.

“The politician is lone going to service for 4 to 5 months. It’s not worthy the effort since it would adhd to our workload earlier the Assembly elections. Our councillors tin dodge civic issues by pointing retired that our authorities is not successful power,” a BJP person said.

BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, “There is discontent wrong the AAP. Let america spot however agelong they (AAP) tin clasp onto the corporation. Without anyone leaving the party, 10 are voting against them … Imagine the script if they suffer the Assembly elections.”

The corp presently lacks a lasting committee, an 18-member assemblage controlling the corporation’s finances, without which it cannot o.k. proposals exceeding Rs 5 crore. The AAP has 8 of the 18 seats, portion the BJP has nine. The predetermination for the last spot remains unresolved owed to an ongoing ineligible dispute. If the tribunal rules successful BJP’s favour, the AAP’s clasp connected the corp could weaken further. Even if the AAP wins, the 9-9 divided volition inactive complicate decision-making.