The voters are apparently divided, as some of them want to re-live the nostalgia created on a wintry Sunday of December 2013, which saw Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rising , while another section would simply want to give the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a chance. It was way back in 1993 when BJP had formed the Government in Delhi. Post, the city scripted its love story with the Congress veteran Sheila Dikshit.  However, things have changed since 2013 and the Indian National Congress (INC), probably for the first time in history, seems to be out of the race in Delhi before it starts.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal is a clever customer and he knows his weaknesses too well. This is exactly why the billboards and hoardings all across the megalopolis talk about AAP’s achievements in its short-lived 49-day term with a promise of a full five years of good governance. Also, the party’s manifesto talks about basic issues like water supply and power, which are fundamental needs for day to day lives. A corruption free state has always been a major poll plank of AAP since its birth. Growing food prices, chaotic traffic system and rising air pollution are other issues that the party seems to be concerned with. Many believe the middle class will be the game changer for this election and it is going to be them who will decide the winner. The big fat middle class of Delhi have usually been ‘vote shy’. But in 2013 they voted in large numbers.

Women for long have been soft targets in Delhi and making the city a safe place for women is going to be a challenge for the next Government. Surely, security for women could be one of the biggest deciding factors in the outcome of the elections. To make Delhi a crime-free city AAP has already promised CCTV cameras to be installed all around the capital to enhance the vigilance system. Kiran Bedi, the Chief Ministerial candidate for BJP has also put women’s security as one of the topmost concerns in the campaigning days. Bedi is known as a very strict administrator and she has promised to establish “student police” which will enable better policing system. Many, including women, feel if Bedi becomes the Chief Minister, things will change for better in Delhi as, one, she has been a very successful police officer and two, and she is a woman of words. Roping in Bedi at the last moment could turn out to be the master stroke as there are enough hints that women may rally behind her on the Election Day.

The detailed report for download: Race for Delhi Assembly: Tight Contest on the Cards