The Hindu : New Delhi News : Electoral battle all set to gain momentum

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 19, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Electoral battle all set to gain momentum

By Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI, APRIL 18. The electoral battle for the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi is all set to gain momentum from next week when most of the candidates will file their nomination papers. With the poll pundits giving an edge to the Bharatiya Janata Party in majority of the seats, an interesting contest seems to be on hands with the Congress determined to turn the tide in its favour.

Political observers feel that there is little doubt that the initial advantage lies with the BJP as it was way ahead in announcing the names of its candidates for Delhi except for the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha seat. Compared to this, the severe infighting within the Congress and the continued factionalism had led to delay in declaration of candidates making things a bit difficult for the party as well as the contesting individuals. It is a different matter that the Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, has emerged stronger with the distribution of tickets. She not only managed to get a party nomination from her son but also neutralised her opponents including the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president, Chaudhary Prem Singh, who once again cut a sorry figure. Mr. Prem Singh had been in the forefront of opposing the candidature of Ms. Dikshit' son and also that of the senior Congress leader, Sajjan Kumar.

The very fact that the party has decided to once again response faith in Mr. Kumar has already pepped up the party cadres in the Outer Delhi Lok Sabha constituency and an interesting contest looks to be on hands in the country's biggest populated seat. Mr. Kumar faces challenge from his old rival and the Union Labour Minister, Sahib Singh Verma, who has already covered the constituency once and taken a lead over his rival. In fact, there is a view within the Congress that the poll predictions were made at a time when the party had not fielded all its candidates and with the party joining the electoral fray in full force, things are bound to be different.

Interestingly, the BJP East Delhi candidate, Lal Bihari Tiwari, is presently the favourite with the bookies enjoying a comfortable lead over his rival, Sandeep Dikshit, in the present scenario. Similarly, the Union Tourism Minister, Jagmohan, is also a favourite with the bookies against his equally competent rival, Ajay Maken. In the South Delhi constituency, the Congress candidate and eminent lawyer, R.K.Anand, has still to cover a lot of ground against his rival, Vijay Kumar Malhotra. However, in the Karol Bagh (SC) seat, the Congress candidate and Deputy Speaker of the Delhi Assembly, Krishna Tirath, has emerged as the favourite over her BJP rival, Anita Arya, who is seeking a re-election from this seat. Nothing can be said about the Chandni Chowk seat as both the BJP and Congress candidates have still to formally launch their election campaign in the area.

However, the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, the start campaigner for the party in Delhi, is unfazed. "The BJP might have enjoyed the initial advantage due to early announcement of candidates but the Congress is fast gaining ground. We will go on the offensive and project the failures of the NDA Government, achievements of the Delhi Government and the betrayal of the various sections of the society including the Government employees by the Vajpayee Government. We will wrest seats from the BJP this time as there is "no feel good'' among the people and for them India is Shining but on the faces of the BJP leaders and not in the heart of India or parts of India,'' she asserted. Ms. Dikshit is scheduled to address a series of meetings in all the seven Lok Sabha constituencies during the next three weeks before curtains fall on the election campaign on May 8.