Delhi gears up to witness an intriguing political battle between new CM Rekha Gupta and outgoing CM Atishi, now LoP in the Delhi Assembly. With Arvind Kejriwal out, it will be fascinating to see how Atishi adapts to her new role after AAP’s two consecutive terms in power, writes Pawan Kumar Bansal
Delhi will witness an interesting political battle between two women; new Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and outgoing CM Atishi, who is now Leader of the Opposition in Delhi assembly. Atishi is experienced and Rekha is first time MLA. With Arvind Kejriwal out of the picture, it will be interesting to watch how Atishi handles her responsibility with Gupta enjoying the support of the Union government and of LG.
The BJP has aggressively targeted the AAP, raising issues such as the lavish spending on the “Sheesh Mahal” official residence of outgoing CM Arvind Kejriwal and the alleged mismanagement of the widely publicised “Mohalla Clinic” scheme. During a session of the State Assembly, a CAG report on the liquor scam was presented, leading to accusations and counter-accusations. Delhi BJP President Virender Sachdeva claimed the CAG report revealed a loss of approximately Rs 2,000 crores, further exposing the AAP government. On the other hand, Leader of the Opposition, Atishi, defended the Excise policy, arguing that it had curbed black marketing and boosted revenue.
On the other hand, Atishi attempted to corner the BJP over the removal of pictures of Baba Sahib Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh from the Chief Minister’s office. Meanwhile, firebrand Rekha Gupta, Delhi’s new CM, enjoys the support of the LG, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the RSS. On the other hand, former CM Arvind Kejriwal is focusing more on managing the situation in Punjab, amid reports of Congress’s efforts to lure away AAP legislators.
Political analyst Devinder Surjewala commented, “After ten years of Kejriwal in power, the people of Delhi are hoping for an era of development, with the BJP now in control at both the Centre and in Delhi. Also, there will be no excuse that the LG is preventing independent action. Without Kejriwal, AAP lacks a prominent figure to “gherao” the government, and Atishi is unlikely to emerge as a formidable challenger.”
The BJP is expected to have a smooth run for the next five years, with their usual tactics of blame games and divide-and-rule. It is believed that Kejriwal’s coming days will be critical, as the BJP is poised to hold him accountable for the issues that arose during his tenure. During the campaign, Prime Minister Modi referred to the AAP government as “aapda” (disaster), urging people to vote for the BJP to escape the consequences of Kejriwal’s “hawa-hawai” promises, freebies, and alleged falsehoods. It’s speculated that central agencies like the ED will dig into old files to target Kejriwal further. This will form part of the strategy to keep Kejriwal occupied with self-defence.
On the first day of the session, 21 AAP legislators were suspended by the Speaker for creating disturbances. In the Assembly, the BJP commands the support of 48 MLAs, while AAP, which was in power for two terms, has been reduced to just 22 seats. Atishi accused the BJP of being “anti-Dalit” and “anti-Sikh” for removing the portraits of Dr B.R. Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh from the CM’s office. CM Rekha Gupta denied these allegations, asserting that AAP is attempting to conceal its corruption.
In response, the BJP shared a photo of the CM’s office displaying portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh, the President, and the Prime Minister of India. Media expert Sunit Mukherjee noted that the BJP-led government now faces high expectations and cannot claim that the LG is preventing it from functioning. The people of Delhi, and indeed the country, will closely watch the Rekha Gupta vs Atishi contest.
While Atishi has experience in running the government, Rekha Gupta’s rise through the ranks of the RSS gives her a distinct advantage. By choosing Gupta over senior leaders like Parvesh Verma, the BJP has played a dual card: a woman leader and someone from the same caste as Arvind Kejriwal. While both Sushma Swaraj and Atishi had brief stints, Rekha Gupta now has to prove she can deliver results like Sheela Dixit did during her tenure, when people still remember the all-round development the latter brought to the state.
