Delhi polls: AAP promises to dent Cong and BJP’s prospects

Delhi started voting for its next government at 8 am on Wednesday. These are the most closely watched elections of 2013 with the debutant Aam Aadmi Party promising to dent the prospects of the two big players in the fray - the BJP and the Congress.

Also read: Delhi elections: Congress, BJP wary of AAP in close contest

The most interesting battle will be fought in the New Delhi constituency where Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit will be up against Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal. BJP's Chief Ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan will be contesting from the Krishna Nagar constituency.

Arvind Kejriwal has cast his vote at the Hanuman Road polling booth while Sheila Dikshit, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will vote from the Nirman Bhavan booth. All government and semi-government offices will remain closed so that people can go out and vote.

For years, what has been a bipolar polity may now witness a triangular fight as Delhi votes to elect a new government. Arvind Kejriwal's evolution and metamorphosis in the past one year from a leading face in Anna Hazare's anti-graft campaign into a full fledged political leader has been complete.

AAP has worked to make in-roads both in urban middle classes and youth and also the Congress strongholds in slums. Its candidates, after a sting operation recently, faced direct attacks from the opposition. But with his broom, Kejriwal played the outsider card espousing the alternate politics.

Sheila Dikshit, up against the double anti-incumbency, of both the Centre and the state, has ruled for 15 years. She continues to wage the battle after Rahul Gandhi's rally which saw thin attendance. The Delhi Chief Minister has tried to make the contest Delhi centric, banking on her 42 sitting candidates and development projects.

As for the BJP, feeling the leadership vacuum, it decided to finally declare a CM candidate in Dr Harsh Vardhan. The ENT specialist slowly yet steadily picked up the threads and built the campaign. But the BJP relied heavily on its star campaigner and PM candidate Narendra Modi to mobilise the urban middle class voter.

A total of 1.19 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise on December 4. There are over 4.05 lakh first-time voters. A total of 810 candidates are in the fray for the 70-member Assembly. BJP has fielded candidates in 66 seats, AAP in 69 and Congress in all 70 constituencies.

The BSP has fielded candidates in 69 seats, NCP in nine and Samajwadi Party has fielded candidates in 27 seats. A total of 224 independents are also in the fray.

The elections in Delhi and four other states are being seen as the semi-final for the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

Clearly for the BJP as for the Congress, who are so used to a direct contest, the imponderable in these election has brought in an element of uncertainty with the AAP factor.

(With additional information from PTI)

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