Delhi Election Result 2020: Factors that led to AAP’s victory.

Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were voted back to power with a massive mandate in the Delhi Assembly election 2020 as the party won 62 seats in the 70-member House. The party dropped just five seats and less than a percentage point in vote share from its historic 2015 performance.

Despite a bitter campaign that saw big shots, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the BJP managed to win only eight seats, only a 5 more from its 2015 tally. The INC, again failed to open its account — the party’s candidates forfeit their deposits on 63 of the 66 seats contested.The AAP secured 53.57 % of the vote share, while the BJP got 38.5% and the Congress 4.3%.

The loss in Delhi is a setback for Home Minister Amit Shah, who made it his mission to ensure that Mr. Kejriwal was denied a third term in office. BJP tried its best to defame Arvind Kejriwal but Arvind Kejriwal stressed his campaign mainly on the achievements of his government and that did the trick for the AAP.

BJP sources, however, blamed the party’s strategy of not projecting a chief ministerial face against Mr. Kejriwal, not being able to counter the AAP’s power and water subsidy schemes. The “unwarranted comments” against Mr. Kejriwal by senior party leaders like Pravesh Verma and Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur, who was among the 200-plus party MPs covering the Capital as part of the BJP’s campaign, is also seen as a reason that backfired. Anurag Thakur and Pravesh Verma were also banned from campaigning for 72 hours for raising derogatory slogan.

Mr. Shah also repeatedly said Delhi’s voters should press the “lotus” button on the electronic voting machine so that the “current” was felt in Shaheen Bagh, where thousands of people are peacefully protesting against the CAA-NRC-NPR regime. Mr. Shah personally addressed 52 public meetings in Delhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke at three public meetings, including one on Ramlila grounds.

For the BJP, the defeat in Delhi comes close on the heels of the loss in Jharkhand, where again the party stressed on CAA-NRC and Ram mandir. In Delhi too, Mr. Shah promised at several public meetings that a Ram temple would be constructed in Ayodhya in four months. It’s evident that what worked for the BJP in the Lok Sabha election did not work for it in Delhi or Jharkhand. The voter, clearly, has different interests and objectives in national and Assembly elections.

The derogatory performance of INC in the Delhi election was also a factor for this major defeat of BJP. A three-cornered contest in Delhi could have helped the BJP, but the Congress did a massive favour to the AAP by not campaigning. Like in 2015, the Congress voter turned out in large numbers for the AAP while the party came second in the 2019 Lok Sabha poll under the leadership of sheila dixit, when the party did active campaign, pushing the AAP to third position.

Mr. Kejriwal only spoke of his work and was going to the people on the basis of his government’s performance. He was critical of Mr. Shah on Delhi’s deteriorating law and order situation but did not directly criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Finally, Mr. Kejriwal emerged out as an effective opposition to the BJP. The reason for AAP’s victory for a third consecutive time is that the party has developed an alternative politics that centrestaged people’s everyday concerns, their hopes and expectations about livelihood and life.

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How civil society, opposition & students responded to the CAA

Amidst growing uproar over the Citizenship Amendment Act across the country, the police on Saturday, arrested the Bhim army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, outside the Jama Masjid in Delhi. Though Azad was denied a permission to protest, he was spotted in a huge crowd which gathered in front of Jama Masjid after the Friday prayers. During the protest the dalit leader was seen holding the photograph of B R Ambedkar. Slogans of ‘Jai Bhim’ rang out from the steps of Jama Masjid.

Recent crackdown by police officers on peaceful protesters is uncalled for in a healthy democracy. Earlier to this several protests and the subsequent arrest of the protesters took place in the National Capital region.

Days have passed, however, the anger against the contentious law doesn’t seem to calm down. On Friday, eleven persons were killed in several clashes between protestors and police in parts of Uttar Pradesh. Several other States which include Karnataka, West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Gujarat remained hotbed for protests against the CAA.

After incidents of violence were reported in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister on Thursday, said that his govt will take ‘revenge’ on those involved in violence over the amended Citizenship act by auctioning their properties to compensate for the losses. Whether, this warning will act as a deterrent for those protesting against the act, is yet to be seen.

The current situation in our country compels us to ask whether the Govt has failed in discharging it’s duties and is this govts failure that scores of students are forced to come on streets to protest against the controversial bill, which is believed to be against the Indian Constitution.

One cannot deny the fact that from day one, the Modi govt was aware of the fact that the CAB once passed will lead to widespread protests in the country. However, to its failure it did not take any precautionary measures to ensure proper law and order situation in the Country. Debates over whether the CAA is an attempt by BJP to build ‘Hindu Rashtra’ have already taken place and nothing more can be said or written about the same.

Opposition is also at blame since it miserably failed to show some responsibility towards maintaing peace of the land, irresponsible/inciting speech given by our elected representatives worsened the situation further. Coming to the students role on the whole issue, it is always appreciable that the youths of our country are enlightened enough to raise their voice, whenever they feel that the Govt is misleading them.

However, the way the studenst of Jamia Milia University have protested and indulged in a large scale violence has no place in a civilized society. Students setting ablaze the buses and two wheelers and resorting to stone pelting on security persons is highly condemnable. The matter is now lying before the Supreme Court and it is now the Court that will decide the constitutional validity of the Citizenship Amendment Bill.

The apex court has scheduled January 22, as the date to conduct hearing on nearly 60 petitions challenging the Act. Nonetheless, law and order should be maintained at all costs and no one should be allowed to take law in its hands.

source: https://molitics.in/article/622/how-civil-society-opposition-students-responded-to-the-caa

After SC refuses stay on implementation of CAA, All eyes set on next hearing

After a lot of hue and cry and widespread protests across the country over the Citizenship Amendment Bill, the Supreme Court on Wednesday, refused to stay implementation of CAA and has scheduled January 22 to hear 59 pleas.

The bench issued notice to the Centre on the batch of pleas seeking stay on the operation of the law as well as on the main petition challenging the constitutional validity of the contentious law.

The amended citizenship bill which excludes migrants of the Muslim community from availing citizenship benefits in India, has continued to dominate headlines since past few days. Past precedents show, when a bill is passed in both the houses of parliament and gets SC’s nod, no State can refuse it’s implementation, no matter how much they oppose it and how many supporters they have backing their decision.

After the CAB got presidential assent, flare-ups in premier educational institutions and north-eastern states resulted in law and order problem in the country. There was news regarding the brutalities of police, provocative speeches by our elected political leaders and student unrest. Delhi’s Jamia University and Aligarh Muslim University were among those who witnessed massive protests. Nevertheless, the agitations will soon pass, no matter how strongly the protesters are protesting, the reality lies with the fact that the CAA has fulfilled all the formalities which are required for any bill to become an Act.

The only one institution that can stop CAA is the Supreme Court. Among those who filed petitons against the controversial act in the Supreme Court are Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Trinamool Congress MP (TMC) Mahua Moitra, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, Tripura’s erstwhile ruling family scion Pradyot Kishore Deb Barman, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), All Assam Students Union (AASU) and others.

The Bharatiya Janta Party has made it very clear that nothing can stop it from the implementation of this act. Recently, at a rally Amit Shah said, “Come what may, the Modi Govt will ensure that these refugees get Indian citizenship and live as Indians with honour.” Shah also used an oft-repeated justification for the CAA and maintained that because partition was done on the basis of religion and the minorities who are in Islamic states are suffering, that is why the amended citizenship act plans to give citizenship to minorities from other countries.

Given the current scenario, now all eyes are set on Jan 22, the day Supreme Court has scheduled to hear 59 pleas, filed by those opposing the CAA.

For more detail see other articles:

CAA Stir, How Citizens are resisting the controversial act

Why is there an uproar over Citizenship Amendment Bill?

CAB: हिंदू पाकिस्तान बनने की राह पर भारत!

source: https://molitics.in/article/620/after-SC-refuses-stay-on-implementation-of-caa-all-eyes-set-on-next-hearing