Delhi is staring in the face of environmental catastrophe. But as the Capital does the countdown for assembly polls, those slugging it out appear more geared up for a war of words or passing the buck than addressing the ground realities and real issues faced by the people.
Overshadowing the environmental crisis, are the national leaders and parties who seem to be more concerned about political one upmanship than highlighting the compromised air and water quality or the unchecked urbanisation and its perils.
The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of buying votes and embezzling funds in Delhi to buy the same votes. The party has also submitted to the Election Commission alleging that the names of bona fide voters are being removed from the electoral rolls.
Addressing a press conference, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of allocating ₹10,000 per voter to its leaders for vote-buying. He also said that only ₹1,000 to ₹1,100 were distributed to voters and the difference was pocketed by its leaders.
A day later, the continuing to and fro verbal spat between AAP and the BJP turned a tad bit creative when the BJP attacked Kejriwal with ‘Sheesh Mahal’ song and poster The Aapda-e-Azam, which showed photoshopped image of Kejriwal dressed in a Mughal era outfit replete with fineries.
A week ago BJP contender from Kalkaji, Ramesh Bidhuri did promise smooth roads however with an ungraceful analogy where he promised roads “as smooth as Priyanka Gandhi’s cheeks.” Why did he not talk about his cheeks, questioned Priyanka Gandhi, reacting to the remark and calling it “ridiculous.” “All this is irrelevant. Elections are taking place in Delhi and important issues should be discussed,” she added.
Emphasis on welfare schemes, pleasing the voter base
Given the large scale of the electorate that needs to be pleased, no party wants to risk giving up on populist measures that translate into instant votes. The reliance on welfare schemes, announced in the manifesto or eleventh hour campaigning, has been the go-to measure in politics for swaying election results legally. Over time, freebies have become the default political discourse.
Among other freebies, former CM Kejriwal has relied on free electricity, water, healthcare, education, and public transport initiatives for women. In December, he announced monthly financial assistance of ₹2,100 to eligible women if AAP returned to power. Last week, AAP wooed RWAs with promises of funds for private security guards.
Not the one to be left behind, BJP too is equally counting on freebies to sway the electorate. The party is most likely to approve, up to 300 units of free electricity, monthly financial assistance of ₹2,500 to eligible women in its manifesto. It has also assured that none of the welfare schemes already being continued by the incumbent government will be done away with.
Delhi Chief Minister Atishi has launched a crowdfunding campaign to contest the Kalkaji assembly constituency and aims to raise ₹40 lakh. Congress too has joined in the freebie bandwagon by offering ₹2,500 monthly assistance for women, alongside insurance coverage of up to ₹25 lakh.
What is Delhi truly suffering from?
The political discourse is completely out of alignment with the grim reality and far bigger issues. What Delhi truly needs is quantification of its AQI, assurance that it will be brought down to two digits. A Swiss-based air quality monitoring group found Delhi to be the most polluted capital city in the world in 2023.
At the end of winters in November last year, like every year, Delhi recorded a hazardous reading of over 493, which is 30 times higher than the one recommended by WHO. A month ago, high levels of ammonia in the Yamuna River rendered the water treatment plants ineffective and caused water shortage in several areas. A few weeks prior to this, in the month of August, nearly 20 people died in Delhi due to waterlogging in the monsoon.
The deaths occurred either due to drowning or electrocution. Of those who died, at least six of the victims were children aged between 3 and 10. These are some of the issues that made it to national headlines; tomes can be dedicated to what Delhi truly faces on a daily basis and the quality of life of its residents.
As per the schedule, the voting for all 70 assembly seats in Delhi will be held in a single phase on February 5 and the results declared after counting of votes on February 8. The Delhi assembly polls are the first major election of 2025 and a do-or-die battle for those in the fray for many reasons.
The Capital is uniquely placed in the federal set-up of the nation, thereby always making two powers control Delhi. The state and center have often been at collusion over the administration of the Capital. The unpredictable voter base makes it further tricky; Delhi swings overwhelmingly in favour of the AAP in Assembly Polls, and in favour of the BJP in Lok Sabha elections. Will 2025 break the pattern remains to be seen.
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