MCD Polls 2022: Dilliwalas Did Their Job, Now Kejriwal Has To Deliver On His Promises

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, won the elections to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) by defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and ending its 15-year reign in the national capital. Kejriwal’s party won 134 out of 250 seats, followed by the BJP with 104 and the Congress with 9. In the trifurcated jurisdictional structure of the national capital, the AAP now controls both the Delhi government and the MCD, which means that Kejriwal is responsible for half of Delhi’s jurisdiction.

The citizens of Delhi have performed their duty by voting for the AAP; it is now Kejriwal’s task to fulfil his promises. The national capital of a country should work towards becoming a clean, garbage-free and safe city.

The AAP’s victory has many political implications, but the most important is that people’s confidence in Kejriwal’s model of governance is still intact. The implementation of AAP’s promises will be the primary concern for the people of Delhi once a double-engine government or administration is in place. For Kejriwal, this will not be easy.

The chief minister, for the first time, will face real opposition in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi from the BJP, Congress, and others. In 2013, Kejriwal assumed the position of chief minister for the first time, but he was unable to confront the Opposition in the Assembly and resigned. From 2015 to 2022, he led the Delhi Assembly without significant opposition due to the minimal presence of the BJP. However, MCD will face a more formidable adversary. The manner in which he deals with the Opposition in the legislature is not going to work in the MCD, and if this continues, it will be difficult for him to keep his promises. The BJP has lost after a hard fight, and it will not give the AAP an easy time in MCD.

Kejriwal has always been at odds with the Lieutenant Governors of Delhi. Most notably, Kejriwal has a very poor relationship with the current LG, VK Saxena. The L-G has ordered several investigations against the Delhi government, including a CBI investigation into the excise policy. Kejriwal will remain dependent on the Central government led by the BJP, and he will not be able to work and fulfil his promises until he tries to resolve these issues.

For instance, Kejriwal had pledged that the landfill issue will be resolved if his party assumes control of the MCD. The AAP-led MCD will need land which comes under the jurisdiction of the L-G. Similarly, the MCD will depend heavily on the Centre for its funding. During the BJP’s tenure, the MCD faced a severe financial crisis and Kejriwal will need the support of the Central government to resolve these problems.

The current Delhi chief minister has always complained about his limited authority, but the citizens of Delhi have now granted him a greater opportunity to govern Delhi and make it a world-class city. But can he handle such a heavy burden? It is the most important question at the moment. Before coming to power in Punjab, the AAP lectured for years on how to stop stubble burning. However, once the party came into power, they were unable to control the issue. The AAP will be responsible for preventing such occurrences.

With its growth and string of electoral victories, the AAP’s dependence on Kejriwal is intensifying. The mandate of the MCD indicates that the people have high hopes for him. It is time for the party to establish an organisation that can delegate tasks to multiple individuals. Delhi will require Kejriwal’s undivided attention, and if he remains preoccupied with party expansion and campaigning in other states, the work of the Delhi government and MCD will be neglected.

India should have a world-class capital city. The people have given the AAP the mandate to make Delhi beautiful. Today, the citizens of Delhi anticipate that the AAP-led MCD will collaborate with the BJP-led Centre and all agencies to deliver on their promises. Delhi represents India to the world, and after winning the MCD, if Kejriwal only focuses on expanding the party nationally, he will be betraying the people’s mandate. He will then fail the citizens of Delhi.

The author is a Columnist and Doctoral Research Scholar in Media & Politics. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.

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