NEW DELHI, 28 March — Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s Hindu extremist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) yesterday suffered yet another electoral setback, losing control over the prestigious Delhi Municipal Corporation (MCD) to the Congress party.
Sonia Gandhi’s Congress, which seemed set for a clean sweep, gains control over India’s largest municipal body after a five-year gap. With this victory, the Congress has captured power in both the Delhi state legislature and the municipal body.
An upbeat Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit said: “The BJP has been rejected due to its non-performance. People have compared the work of the Congress in the Delhi government and that of the BJP in the MCD.
Viewing the results as a referendum on Delhi’s Congress government, Dixit said: “We had not expected such a sweeping victory. That we have won with such a majority also means that people trust us and have confidence in us. They have entrusted as with a major responsibility.”
“Now that we have both the Delhi government and the corporation, we hope to do more for the people of the city,” she added.
Elections were held Sunday for 134 seats of the 168-member MCD, in which 34 are nominated members. Eligible to vote were 7.8 million out of Delhi’s 14 million people. The Congress won over 108 seats and the BJP 15. However, a low turnout indicated that citizens were disillusioned with the administration’s apathy to their concerns regarding water, electricity, sanitation, good roads and poor maintenance of public parks.
As the results started pouring in yesterday, jubilant Congress members took to the streets, dancing to the beat of drums and distributing sweetmeats. The celebrations contrasted sharply with the picture of gloom in the BJP camp, where downcast workers mourned a spate of electoral defeats. Said BJP MP and former Delhi Chief Minister M.L. Khurana: “We were expecting to win, but the results show that people were disillusioned with us.”
Khurana had warned his party leadership about the growing resentment among Delhi voters in the wake of a crisis of green fuel and poor civic development. He had even apprised the prime minister of the grim situation. Among the local BJP stalwarts who lost were Delhi Mayor Shanti Desai, Prithviraj Sahni, standing committee chairman, and Mahesh Chandra Sharma, leader of the house.
The MCD caters to 12 million people in Delhi and its spread is next only to Tokyo’s in size. Its jurisdiction covers some of the world’s most densely populated areas.
For the BJP, which took charge of the municipal body in 1997, it was a popularity test. The Congress took it as a challenge. The party has been in power in the Delhi government since 1998. Gaining control of the corporation, which covers about 400 sq. km in the sprawling city, provides a crucial edge to the party.
The BJP had 79 seats in the previous corporation body, while the Congress had 39.For the BJP, the rout came at a time the wound of humiliating defeats in the February assembly elections in four key states was still raw. The BJP was voted out of power in Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Punjab. Manipur was the other state where the BJP fared badly, leading to a Congress-led coalition assuming office.
The dipping fortunes of BJP in state elections have been accompanied by the growing clout of the Congress. The only saving grace was a victory for the BJP-Shiv Sena combine in the Bombay civic elections in February.
